The Pet
by TheHunter9
Summary: Phoenix takes a wrong turn and ends up in Volterra, where she's taken in by Aro and given to Alec to keep as a pet, until Aro decides whether or not he wants her changed. Will feelings besides hatred develop? Alec/OC ((Sequel now up!))
1. Dance With The Devil

**When human Phoenix arrives in Volterra, she does not expect to be taken in as a "pet" and given to one of the most powerful vampires in the world...but really, who WOULD expect that?**

_Say goodbye,_

_As we dance with the Devil tonight,_

_Don't you dare look at him in the eye,_

_As we dance with the Devil tonight..._

**Nyx POV**

_The demonic, red-eyed creatures each fix me with curious gazes as they leave the "feeding chambers". I glare in return. I am left alone with the three cloak-shrouded ones. The one named Aro, who seems to be ine one in charge, holds out his hand to me to help me to my feet. When I glare furiously and don't respond, he kneels so quickly I don't even see him move. He grabs my hand and hoists me to my feet. He traps my hand in both of his and now matter how much I fight back, I can't wrench myself away from him._

_Of course, the demon would be strong._

_I aim a kick at his shin, but it's futile. An involuntary hiss escapes through my clenched teeth. My steel-toed boots do nothing against him, and I only hurt myself. A smile spreads across his papery cheeks. Smug fucker._

_He makes a sound of delight. The eyes of the demons behind him bore into the back of his head, but he doesn't seem to notice. The white-haired one scowls ferociously at me, in a look I imagine is meant to be intimidating, but he just looks like a sulky child. The other one looks perfectly uninterested, and for a moment I'm insulted that he doesn't seem to find me worthy enough to hold his attention._

_Were they all born assholes, or...?_

"_Marvellous!" Aro cries. I finally manage to free my hand from his iron grasp. I glower at him with as much ferocity as I can muster. He claps his hands together in evident wonder. "Simply marvellous," he breathes. "You'll do _perfectly_."_

"_Perfectly?" I repeat sceptically, trying to keep my voice fierce. "For what?"_

_Aro's eyes look down upon me with amusement. "She is wonderfully feisty, is she not brothers?"_

_He receives no response, but this doesn't deter his excitement. _

"_Listen to me, you retarded fucker-" I start to spit, but I'm interrupted._

"_No, child, you listen to me," Aro interrupts, his voice shifting several octaves colder. "You will know your place in Volterra. We are your Masters from here onwards. Unless you wish to perish like those less fortunate-" he takes a second to let his eyes rove around the room, filled with carnage and the slaughter of the tour group. Their blank eyes stare back at me. Aurelio, poor fool Aurelio, is twisted in an unnatural shape on the floor, his warm brown eyes glazed and empty. "-You will obey us."_

_I hold my chin high and try my very best to hold his gaze. "And what if I'm not afraid to die?"_

_His alien, friendly smile returns. "Sweetling," he murmurs. "There is not a person alive that is not afraid to die."_

"_Even you?" I challange, trying to hold my wits. His smile widens._

"_Pheonix," he says, and I start in shock – I never told him my name. His smile becomes more like a leer and I take an involuntary step back. He looks me in the eye._

"_I am not alive."_

**Twenty Four hours earlier**

"_Put me to sleep, Evil Angel. Open your wings, Evil Angel. Fly over me, Evil angel. Why can't I breathe, Evil Angel?"_ I hum in time to the Breaking Benjamin song that's blaring from my earphones, and receive dirty looks from the passanger beside me. I give him a wide, wicked smile, showing my teeth, and he recoils. Even through the heavy bass I can hear him muttering about 'freakish teenagers'.

Lovely dude.

I sigh and wriggle about in my seat. I hate flying. I seriously despise it. Damn these last-minute airline tickets. Why couldn't I have gotten a damn boat? Boats are good. Boats are nice and grounded. _Why why why_ did I have to take a fucking plane?

Tremours from the turbulance makes the plane rock. I give an agonised groan.

"Fucking HELL," I curse loudly, causing two little kids in the seat across from me to giggle.

"Excuse me, do you _mind_?" Their mother replies, cupping their heads and sheilding their ears.

"I do, actually," I reply sweetly. "Freedom of speech, lady. It's American soil till we touch down. Now kindly fuck off so I can get back to my music." I smile one of my most angelic smiles at the outraged woman. Her kids squeal in delight.

What can I say, I never claimed to be a pleasent person. And maybe I'm not in the best mood. But whatever, I can entertain myself. I spend the majority of the flight making faces at her kids while she isn't looking. They giggle and make faces in return. Anytime I catch her eye, their mom gives me the evils. And any time the turbulance hits and I resist the urge to throw up all over my lovely neighbour, she looks smug.

Eventually the bitch falls asleep and I'm free to play with her kids. Through a whispered conversation I get the little blonde boy to agree to tell him mom I said "Sayanora, bitch," when we're off the plane. I teach him and his little even-blonder sister how to flip someone off, which they try out on the hostesses (who are all giving me dirty looks too). But soon, they fall asleep, and I'm left alone again.

I start to shift around, trying to settle and maybe get some rest before we land in Italy. I curl onto my side and close my eyes, letting the soft music of "Before the Dawn" by Evanescence lull me to sleep. (I have a serious girl-crush on Amy Lee.) Just when I'm there, more turbulance shakes the plane and I'm stirred out of sleep.

With an agitated whine, I flip back into a sitting position, trying as hard as I can to jostle my sleeping neighbour. Several hot, silent tears wash down my face, and I'm conscious of my already smudged makeup becoming even worse. Then I snort. Trust me to be worrying about my makeup when I'm heading to a new country in search of a random lady that I've never met.

Fuck. My. Actual. Life.

I lean my head back against my seat and breathe in deeply. Just a few more hours, just four more hours till we land in Rome and I can find my Nana's friend who, hopefully, knows more about the situation than I do. Because if she doesn't it'll just be two really confused and freaked people in a room. Which is so much worse than just one really confused and freaked person.

Eventually I do drop off, but it takes forever. And I don't dream, which is a disappointment. I love dreams. But I drift in peaceful blackness until I get poked in the face with a crayon and then I'm back on the rocky plane and the two little kids expect me to play with them.

And I do, because I'm a freaking awesome person and all that shit. I draw them Sharpie tattoos and I even whip out my makeup case and brush eyeshadow on the little girl's eyelids. I smooth red lipstick over her smiling pink lips and she gives a squeal of delight when she sees herself in my little compact mirror. Their mom has stopped glaring at me – I think she's just glad I'm keeping her kids entertained and off her back. However, I'll bet that she won't be so thrilled when she sees all my little doodles on her kids. But

"Cinque minuti fino all'atterraggio a Volterra."

"I'm sorry," a middle-aged man says to a hostess. "I don't speak Italian very well. How long until landing?"

"Five minutes," the hostess smiles.

And because languages have never been my friends, I don't click to the fact that the voice said _Volterra_ and not _Rome_. All I heard was five minutes and my heart skips with relief.

_Halle-freakin-luja._

The woman calls her kids back to put their seatbelts on, and I buckle myself in eagerly. I pack up my stuff into my carry-on bag – the only luggage I brought – and swing my legs like a kid on Christmas morning. My stomach flips excitedly when we begin the descent. As soon as people start unbuckling their seatbelts with that heavanly click, I'm bouncing out of my seat. I turn to wave at the kids and they grin at me, holding up their middle fingers. I laugh – it feels so good to laugh – and run towards the plane's exit before their mom can get me.

As soon as I'm out of the viscinity of the airport, I notice that something is off.

There aren't as many public streets as I thought there would be in a big city. There are cobblestone alleyways that seem oddly sinister and dark. I stick to the main street that seems to wind upwards, hoping that it leads me somewhere – _anywhere_ – that I could stay until I figure this shit out.

I stop walking and take deep, laboured breaths. Panicing, I fumble in my bag for my inhaler, and take deep puffs of air. Fucking athsma. Fucking no sense of direction.

I calm down long enough to spot a good looking guy of around twenty two with dark skin and friendly brown eyes. He's speaking english to a couple of tourists. I approach him, trying to swallow my nerves.

"Dude," I announce my prescence. He turns and his eyes flick down to look at me. I give him a wry smile. I'm not oblivious to the fact that he's checking me out. What can I say? I like older guys.

"Hey there, _bello sconosciuto_," he grins warmly. "What's your name?" Despite the flurry of Italian words, his accent is reassuringly easy to understand. I relax.

"Phoenix," I reply. He's still grinning.

"I'm Aurelio."

"Hi," I reply. "Um, are there cabs in Rome?"

His brow furrows. I wonder if Italians know what a taxicab is. But before I can explain, he speaks again.

"Rome? No no, little Phoenix. You're not in Rome, you're in Volterra."

My heart sinks, and I think what little colour was in my face must have fled it altogether, because Aurelio suddenly grabs my arm in an effort to steady me.

I got the wrong flight.

_I got the WRONG flight._

I. GOT. THE. FREAKING. WRONG. FLIGHT.

"Volterra?" I choke. Oh holy fuck. I've never even heard of Volterra! Where the fuck am I? This is some bad shit right here. "Where the hell is Volterra?"

"Right here, of course!" A voice like a windchime reaches my ears. Despite my dizzyness, I manage to whirl around and come face-to-face with the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on.

The woman is tall and statuesque, with long mahogany curls and sparking violet eyes. I stand still for a moment, enchanted. I swear, if I wasn't seventy five percent straight and feeling like shit, I'd have been fucking this bitch here and now. Aurelio beside me, and several others in the crowd behind the angel woman look like they're having the same thoughts. Despite myself, I'm grinning like a fool.

She's wearing knee-high black boots with towering heels, dark tights, and a tight black skirt. She's wearing a thin white tank top that emphasises every curve. On top she's wearing a uniform jacket with elbow-length sleeves that's cut to emphasise the curve of her waist. Hanging around her neck is a beautiful, valuble-looking necklace in the shape of a V, though I can't be sure as I'm (sadly) not close enough to get a decent look.

My heart stutters when she drifts closer and holds out her hand to take mine. "Would you two like to join our tour?" She asks, her eyes dancing between Aurelio and I. I nod wordlessly and Aurelio manages to choke out a 'yes.' The woman smiles. Her smile promises safety and answers and a place to stay. She gently leads Aurelio and I into the crowd. She releases my hand and Aurelio grabs onto the strap of my bag.

"Don't get lost," he mutters down to me, his voice nearly lost in the excited babble of the group. I smile because he is so kind, and I feel so reassured that I'll be fine. No matter what happens, I'll be fine.

It's not that long a walk to our destination, but it's uphill and I'm starting to need my inhaler again. Fucking atshma. Aurelio and I stay side by side as we follow the woman, but we've been shrugged near to the back of the crowd. There is just one family behind us; a man, a woman, two little girls and a baby in a tiny blue sleepsuit. I feel like I should be annoyed – I'm not the type to tag along in a bustling, shoving, loud crowd. I have half a mind to duck out and try and find someplace to stay, but Aurelio has been so kind to me and I don't want to leave him alone. What? I'm not a _completely_ heartless person. Not completely.

The woman's voice carries back to us as we swerve around a large fountain and approach a beautiful clock tower. "We're here," the woman trills. "Castle de Volterra."

It's beautiful, absolutely. I peer around as Heidi leads us inside. I'm so captivated by everything that I barely notice the halls become darker and darker. We go up steps. Up more and more and _more_ steps until I'm ready to yell out in frustration. But then suddenly two people dressed in uniform are flanking us at the back. One is so big and tall that I feel even tinier that usual in his prescence. Every vibe I get from him suggests menace. I scoot closer to Aurelio, who's nervously regarding the big man too. I look at the guy on the other side. He's younger, looks about nineteen or twenty with dark hair. He's taller than Aurelio, and somewhat broader, but he's not nearly as intimidating as his comerad.

But what strikes me most about the two men is the fact that they both have red eyes. Which I actually think is pretty fucking wicked.

"Nice contacts," I say to the less-scary guy. Those eyes rove down to look at me, and a grin spreads across his face. It looks oddly sinister in his cheerful face.

"Thanks," he replies. The big dude chuckles, and a shiver tingles down my spine.

The angel woman is babbling , walking faster up ahead so we have to jog to keep up. The two uniforms lag behind.

"I call dibs on the girl," a deep, dark voice mutters. The big one. I stop, my eyes wide.

_Dibs?_

One of the little girls bumps into me and I'm forced to keep going.

What did he mean?

We're nearing huge double doors, and I can see more uniforms up ahead. One shares a sultry look with the woman. The other rolls his red eyes at them.

I'm rushed into a big, bright room with three thrones and more red-eyes, and the doors close.

A man in a cloak with hair even blacker than mine and a gliding walk approaches our tour guide and takes her hand.

"Well done, Heidi. They look good," he comments.

People are confused now. Aurelio grabs my arm. Two more men in cloaks descend from the thrones and approach us with hungry eyes.

"Thank you, Master," Heidi beams.

Master? He steps towards us, his arms spread wide.

"Feast, my dears," he says. He isn't talking to us.

Those three little words are like a spring-trigger. In the next instant, screams blast my eardrums and Aurelio is yanked away from me with such force that I stagger sideways. I whip around to see a slender woman force his head sideways. She had long white-blonde hair with blue streaks that contrast with her carnivorous red eyes.

I scream as her gleaming white teeth plunge into his neck.

Aurelio chokes and spasms, his eyes rolling back in his head as blood drips from his neck, and also from his mouth which hangs open in shock. It takes but moments for her to drop him to the ground. He doesn't move. Those red eyes flicker upwards and focus on me.

She steps nimbly over Aurelio's corpse and moves towards me.

I respond in the only way I can.

_Run_.

I bolt. I sprint around horrific scenes of violence, skid over blood pooling on the floor, spring over discarded bodies until I slam into something. I end up sprawling on the floor, banging my elbow painfully. "FUCK!" I yelp. I manage to look up, into the gleaming eyes of the huge man that had walked alongside me on the way in.

_I know what he meant by dibs now._

He leans down to grab me, his eyes never leaving mine.

"_Get away from me!"_

The hysterical yell doesn't seem to have come from me. The man pauses and reels backwards, looking dizzy. He takes a deliberate step backwards, then stops, shaking his head slowly. He gives a furious snarl and wrenches me from the ground. Razor teeth graze my throat. I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Felix, stop!"

The Master demon had been watching us. Everyone in the room is frozen.

"Felix, drop her," he orders sternly.

And drop me Felix does. I clatter back to the floor when his steel hands release my upper arms.

"Bitch," I grumble, trying not to slip into shock.

"Everybody out. Now."

There is only me and about thirteen other people left, all shaking and sobbing.

"Renata, take those down to the dungeons for Alec and Jane when they return."

"Yes, Master."

I watch as another demon takes the survivors away. The demonic, red-eyed creatures fix me with curious gazes as they leave.


	2. Bleed I Must Be Dreaming

**Chapter Two – (Bleed) I Must Be Dreaming**

_It's, not what it seems,_

_Not what you think,_

_No, I must be dreaming..._

Okay.

Let's not panic.

Mostly because frantic panicing irritates me and I SO do not need that right now. I've been removed from the Creep-Master's erethreal prescence. Who the fuck is that overlord bastard? And who the fuck are these minions that don't trust me to walk, so one of them has me tucked to his chest in the most freaking awkward painful position known to man?

I give a sharp whistle and snap my fingers with my free hand. "Hey! HEY! Mass murdering fucker, would you be ever so kind as to _put me the fuck down so I can walk already?_"

His hold on me tightens and the other one – the guy who's "contacts" I complimented on the way in stifles a laugh. Needless to say, I have realised that they're his real eyes. I'm not THAT much of a moron.

"Aro's right, Metri, she's a firecracker alright," he chuckles. 'Metri' smirks. I assume. I can't see him because the back of my head is crushed against his rock-solid chest and I can't look up. But I can HEAR the smirk in his voice when he speaks.

"So it appears," he drawls. Then he addresses me. "Young one, do you think that I am so unintelligent that I do not realise you will run away once I put you down?" He gives a dark chuckle that makes icy shivers tingle down my spine. "I must say, I am moratally offended."

I suck in a breath. I want to thrash and fight back – AGAIN – but it's pointless. It turns out they're a good couple hundred times stronger than me. Motherfuckers. "And I must say," I imitate his British accent, which I am trying very very hard to find annoying. I like Brit accents, ok? Shoot me. "_I_ am offended that you don't think I've figured out that you'd be able to catch me if I did."

'Metri' stops mid-stride, and because we're going freakishly fast, I'm jolted in his grip. I give an inaudible grumble in complaint.

"You know, you're right," he says smoothly. And then in an uber-quick move his arms release me and I'm dropped to his feet. Pain shoots from the bottom of my back, up my spine and down my legs. Not to mention my ass. It hurts a lot, but I don't say anything. I'm exhausted. I'm hungry and cold and I have to blink fiercely to rid my eyes of traitor tears. I almost miss the plane.

The second monster bites his lip. "C'mon Demetri, don't be so mean. She's just a bitty little human."

I decide I like this guy a lot better than Demetri, even though he called me bitty little. I'm not little. I'm just below average.

"She's an _annoying_ little human," Demetri snaps spitefully, but his voice wavers just a little. Maybe he feels bad for dropping me (I am SERIOUSLY sick of hitting floors around here) or maybe he just wants to eat me a lot. But either way before I can gather myself to my feet he grabs me under my arms and hoists me to my feet.

"There," he says. "Let's go."

And he sets off again. He and the other one start walking so fast I have to run to keep up with them. They've taken me at my unspoken promise not to run away from them. We all know who'd win in that situation. They don't seem to notice that I have to sprint after them. They're muttering in blurring-fast Italian that I can't understand.

"Here we are," the nicer of the two says cheerfully. He opens the door and gently prods me inside.

It's dark, the room is dimly lit by the open curtains allowing the setting sun to stream inside, but I can tell just how incredible it is. I see an enormous four-poster bed on some sort of raised platform against one of the stone walls. The covers are what appears to be royal-blue satin. The drapes that are tied back against the four posts are jet black. The floors are polished wood and there's an arabic-looking rug straight out of Aladdin spread regally in front of the bed. There's a dark oak bookshelves that tke up an entire wall, and are completely filled to the brim with books. Books of every possible kind – hardbacks that look like decent weapons, little paperbacks, fat books, lean books, books with yellowing dustjackets and books that are so old they don't even have covers any more.

I swallow nervously. Well, at least I won't be bored. I like reading.

There's a desk in the same dark wood with one of those proper spinning office chairs. At the desk there's another small pile of books that have been thumbed through so many times the pages are hopelessly dog-eared. There are also a few scraps of paper, but I'm not close enough to see what's on them.

An uneasy feeling lodges in my stomach and I wonder if I'm gonna hurl. This room belongs to someone. I glance behind me, wondering if it belongs to Demetri or the half-decent guy. But they're hovering outside the door, not even setting a toe on the borderline.

"You are to wait here," Demetri tells me. "In a while, someone will come for you. If you leave the room, you will be killed."

Thanks, bud. That makes it feel SO much like somewhere I want to spend my time, and not a bit like a prison. Really.

I force a sarcastic smile and fix my eyes on his face. "You're charming."

Guy number two grins slightly. Demetri's face remains emotionless.

"On second thought, wander around if you wish. Perhaps if you do, I will be the one Aro chooses to kill you," he hissed – a real hiss, like a cat makes. And then he disappeared. Like, _really_ disappeared.

"Fucking FREAK!" I yell after him. I'll bet he heard it.

"I'm Santiago," the other guy says, drawing my eyes back to him. He glances left, seeing or hearing something that I don't. He smiles, a little guilty-looking. "He's going to get you for that."

"Let him try," I scoffed – but I feel my heart quicken. By 'get', it's obvious he means 'eat'.

Santiago glances around the room. "Were I you, I wouldn't touch anything." He nods politely, then goes to shut the door.

"Wait," I interrupt pleadingly. He quirks an eyebrow. His bloody eyes gleam and I remember, even though he may be nicer than Demetri and Aro, he's still a killer. I saw him murder people, bite them. I reel back a bit. "Who's room is this? Who's coming for me?"

He sighs a little and runs a hand through his dark brown hair. He looks a little bit like Aurelio, which is both reassuring, and fucking depressing. There's one long second filled with tension and pressure that threatens to crush me. Then Santiago finally answers.

"Someone worse than Demetri and Felix. Worse than anyone you saw downstairs."

And then he ducks his head and the door closes softly behind them.

I hear the click of a lock. He obviously doesn't trust me not to go walkabout in a castle full of people-devouring psycopaths. Oh ye of little faith.

I feel a little dizzy, suddenly coming short of breath. My atshma's kicking in again. It's okay when I run, or excersise or anything like that, but when I get stressed or upset or overly-anxious, I find it hard to breathe.

I feel that way now. I need my damn inhaler, but I dropped my bag when Aurelio was pulled away from me and I never thought to get it back.

Oh shit shit shit. My bag! My bag has fucking everything in it! Everything and anything I hold to my name is in that big shoulderbag. My passport, my money, my makeup and my Ipod, my chargers, my fucking inhaler, and my framed picture of my Nana and I.

My anxiety increases, and I choke on a rapid intake of breath. Oh God, _no_. My chest is heaving with laboured, improper breaths. The stress of tonight is finally catching up on me.

_Fuck!_

_I can't breathe..._

I feel like i'm drowning. In irrational, paniced moves, I kick and punch the door, praying that Santiago will realise there's somthing wrong with me and come back. I try to yell but I can't get the air in my lungs to even sob.

_I can't breathe_...

I slump against the door, clutching my throat. I sink towards the floor. The world wavers, darkening intimidatingly around the edges. Tears are streaming down my face and neck, and my throat is burning because I'm choking and coughing.

_Fucking atshma...what a bitch._

I'm shaking so badly I can't keep a grip on my own neck. I scrabble desperately at the shiny floorboards, trying to get a grip on something. Oh God, why doesn't someone come? I can't breathe at all now, and I feel lightheaded. All I can manage are hiccupy-chokey breaths that sound completely pathetic. I feel so heavy, as if the whole world is pressing in on me. I slide down, until I'm lying on the floor.

_I'm slipping..._

I can't feel the floor beneath me anymore. Good. The dust was making me sneezy. I don't know if I'm breathing or not. I don't really care. I don't feel like I'm dying any more. Maybe I passed already. Maybe I'm in a coma.

Then something hard whacks me on the top of my head.

Motherfucker. Can't a girl die in peace? Is it fucking too much to ask?

I can hear again. Someone gasps. I hear them swearing, and something light drops to the ground with a clatter. The sound is annoying. And then there's a lifeline, something to cling to – something cool pressed forcefully against my lips and there's a sharp puff of air.

Someone brought me my inhaler. Well shit, the hell demons did something right.

I scrabble through my fucking twisted consciousness to try and find the energy to draw the air in. Another puff of air reaches my lips – another and another. Thank fucking hell.

I gasp the breaths in as quickly as I can, forgetting to pace myself. I manage to reach up and grab hold of my inhaler by myself, and my fingers brush against something solid and ice-cold.

I jump – a knee-jerk reaction – and the cold thing slips from beneath my fingers and cups my hand.

"It's okay," a sweet-sounding female voice soothes. "Breathe."

I try, but it takes time. And I start to freak again when I realise that I'm encased in someone's cool arms. Fuck. I want to scream at them to _let me go_, but I can't. I have to breathe.

Eventually, I'm breathing somewhat steadily again. Relieved and impatient, I shove my inhaler away from my lips, still clasping it in my clammy hand, and force my eyes open.

I was right – I'm in the arms of a young woman, about twenty or twenty one, with light brown hair in neat waves past her shoulders. Her brow is furrowed anxiously, but the rest of her face is perfectly smooth. Unnaturally so. Her lips are quite thin, but they suit her face. She's also a bit on the skinny side. But her most dominant feature are her big almond-eyes, glowing bright red.

I cringe and wriggle, grumbling swears, trying to escape the cage of her arms, the intense gaze of those evil eyes.

"I'm sorry," she apologises, carefully setting me on the floor. She clasps her hands in her lap as I sit up, a little dizzy still. I edge away from her – I saw her in the hall.

"_Ow_!" I hiss suddenly. I ran my fingers through my hair, only to find that I was hurt. A stinging ache settled annoyingly at the back of my head.

"Sorry," she apologised again. "I think I hit you with the door when I broke in..."

She trails off, her expression morphing from guilty to anxious and she bites down hard on her lip.

"I broke the lock," she whispers. Her nails dig into her palms. "He won't like that." Her face contorts briefly in anxiety.

I twist my body so I can look behind me. The door is swinging freely, and there are twisted bits of metal on the floor, which I take to be the remnants of the lock.

"I won't tell," I say to her. I suppose I do owe her that much, at least.

"He'll know anyway," she sighs. "I guess I just made things more difficult for you, in the end."

"What's your name?" I interrupt her worries; I'm too weary to pretend to give a shit.

"Renata," she replies. "You're Phoenix?"

I nod.

"Odd name," she smiles. "I've never heard of a Phoenix before."

"I've never known anyone called Renata," I reply.

What the fuck am I doing? I'm having a conversation with a murderous monster. Though she seems sweet, but does that matter? Santiago was nice, but I saw him kill the mother and two daughters that came in behind me.

She seems to sense the shift in my mood, because she rises suddenly and glances at my bag on the floor. I gasp in delight and snatch it up, cradling it to my chest.

_YES! Score one for the annoying bitty human!_

Wait...

HUMAN?

I jump up, staggering slightly as my dizzy spell returns. What the actual fuck?

"What are you?" I demand, my voice wavering. How did this not register with me before? They are _not_ human, it's so fucking obvious!

Renata fidgets, her eyes on the floor. "I'm not allowed say anything, not yet. Alec is supposed to tell you when he gets back."

"Alec?" I repeat, tasting the name on my tongue. It feels bitter. Renata nods.

"This is his room you're in."

I fold my arms under my breasts, trying to clear my mind. "Why are you all so scared of him?" I demand.

"You'll learn," Renata says, sounding sad. "You're lucky...Aro wants you alive. But," she bites her lip again. "I think I know why you're here. In Alec's chambers."

"Why?" I demand again.

She shakes her head slowly, frowning. "I can't say. I'm sorry, truly sorry." She whirls towards the door, disorientingly fast. It's almost scary.

She turns back at the last minute, her hand on the doorknob. "Please, please," she says, her voice sounding desperate. "Please just stay in this room. You'll save us both an awful lot of hassle."

I nod, feeling totally drained. I'm finding it hard to care right now. That big bed is beckoning me; "_Sleep, Nyx,_" it's purring. The covers look so soft.

"Truly sorry," Renata whispers again, closing the door.

As soon as she's gone, my face screws up in anguish. Several hot tears stream down my face. Why is this happening to me? I'm a good person, mostly. I don't lie. Not a lot anyway. And I don't steal. Well, not if there's a good chance of being caught. I don't fight unless someone hits me first. Then I can pin the blame on them. I've never set out to hurt anyone deliberately, not unless they've hurt me first.

My arms are wrapped around my bag. Suddenly I feel very, very tired. I want to sleep. Without a second thought, I crawl up onto the perfectly neat, silky covers. I wrap myself around my bag for something to hold, and shut my eyes.

I sleep. My body feels so heavy, but at least I can't feel my head throbbing while I'm unconscious. I dream. Usually I adore dreams, they're fun to try and figure out once I wake up. But this isn't a dream – it's a nightmare. I'm in the dark, cold and shivering, but not quite alone. The only thing I see beyond the blackness are several pairs of angry red eyes glaring at me hungrily. And they close in, and there's nothing I can do, because I'm trapped. They encircle me effortlessly, and when they're so close I can reach out to touch them, one lunges for my throat.

Something hard hits the back of my head, where I'm hurt. I give a sharp yelp of pain, my eyes bulging open in shock.

"Finally," a silky voice drawls. Not one I recognise. "I was getting bored waiting for you to wake up."

My eyes blur tiredly as I yawn, my mind telling me that I want more sleep. I want it right now.

"Wha thime 'i it?" I yawn.

"Four forty five AM," the voice responds.

I give a groan of agony. "Fuck _off_ and let me _slee_-"

I don't get to finish my sentance. In a swift move, I'm flipped right off the bed. I land face down, my hands barely saving me from a seriously broken nose.

THIS. PLACE. IS. _HELL._

A shoe placed stratigically under my sore ribs flips me over onto my back.

"Bitch," I groan, rubbing my ribs. I look up into the bright red eyes that are sparkling with amusement, encased in the most perfect face I've seen so far, and framed with beautifully thick, silky dark chocolate hair that shines in the light of the crystal chandelier hanging above our heads. It's the eyes that really get me though, they bore right into me with intensity that's almost painful. I force myself to sit up

These eyes appraise me critically. He stares and stares, first at my face, then he roves down my body, drinking in every detail. I give him the same treatment, trying not to be self-conscious. He's tall. Taller than me (though that's really not hard...) and quite lean, but there are obvious muscles beneath the clothes. His shoulders are rather broad, like Demetri, but much smaller than the vicious Felix. His stance is confident, cocky, almost. He's wearing some sort of uniform. Around his perfectly smooth, white throat is a chain-necklace with the same elaborate "V" symbol that everybody else here wore.

Oh, he was a freaking sex GOD.

"You're Phoenix?" He says, his voice sneering and superior.

Well, he's not making the greatest first impression of all time. But maybe I should wait before I judge this guy. But still, his critical stare is grating on my patience.

"Who are you?" I snap, not giving him an answer. I instantly feel bad for my rash reaction, and give a tentiative smile to show I'm sorry.

He lifts his chin. Yup, defenitely superior.

"I am Alec," he replies, as if he's bestowing me with a huge honor of knowing his name.

This is Alec? My new cellmate?

"You're Alec?" I respond, looking up into his Godlike face in abrupt surprise. He nods, looking totally smug.

My reaction shocks both of us. My lower lip trembles and I bite down hard on it. My shoulders start to shake and the rest of me trembles. I duck my head, letting my hair veil my face. It acts like a black curtain. A small sound escapes my lips that sounds like a sob. I clap my hand over my mouth.

Alec nudges my jean-covered thigh with his booted foot.

A sharp burst of laughter comes from me, and the dam breaks. I'm absolutely howling, clutching my stomach. My laughter is completely hysterical.

What's wrong with me? I'm acting like some fucking nutjob. Maybe I'm finally slipping into shock.

"_What's so funny_?" Alec snarls, furious. And yet I can't seem to take the fucker seriously.

"You're Alec?" I gasp between laughter.

"Yes," he hisses, those ruby eyes blazing angrily.

"The one everyone is so afraid of?"

"_Yes_," he spits. Oh, a temper have we? Well, that makes two of us. Though mine seems to have been buried by my hysterics.

"Oh!" I gasp, breathing hard and trying to contain myself. "B-but you're like...my age!" I'm off again. I expected some huge, intimidating bastard in chains and leather, like Felix but scarier. A bondage porno star come to life. He is _completely_ the opposite of what I was preparing myself for.

And he totally does not appreciate my humor. With an animalistic growl, he, like Felix had, grips my upper arms in vicious tight hands, and then I'm airborne.

First I'm keeling over on the ground, and the next I don't feel the ground at all. Air whistles past me and in the very next second, I'm slammed into the stone wall.

A pained cry escapes my lips and I struggle against his grasp. I try to remind myself to pace my breathing as I aim a kick to where it hurts. My knee connects with his rock hard (no) groin, and he gives a low grunt. That's _it_! And now my knee is throbbing in pain.

"You asshole let me _go_!" I yell furiously, writhing. He hisses and slams me to the wall again, then presses himself to me, trapping me with his body. He pins my wrists to the wall above my head with one hand and uses the other to yank my head back, his fingers entangled painfully in my thick hair.

And then his plump, soft lips drag along my jaw, sending shockwaves through my whole body. I start to tremble again. I stop moving altogether, every muscle clenching. What the ever holy fuck is he doing? I have to press my lips together to contain an agonised whimper. He drifts slowly, torturously until he reaches my ear.

"Listen to me, Nyxie," he says, low and menacing. It's impossible not to be chilled by the dangerous undercurrent in his voice. "I have lived centuries longer than you ever hope to, you pathetic child. I have taken more lives, than you have taken breaths. And whilst you are alive here, you will belong to me."

"To you?" I spit, my jaw dropping in horror.

And then he does something both terrifying and disgusting. In a flash, his nips my earlobe with his teeth, causing me to grunt softly. Then his hand travels from the tangle of my hair and strokes my jaw before gripping it firmly. With a deliciously dangerous smirk, he leans forward and nips my bottom lip as he did my ear, only this is not careful. I gasp as I feel a sharp sting, and then disorienting warmth as blood pools on my mouth.

He pulls back a little, holding his breath. He watches in obscure fascination as the small drop of blood slides down my chin and drips onto my crumpled shirt. I give a small thrash – natural instinct telling me to wipe it away and take care of my little wound, but he's still got my hands pinned.

He leans in again, and my stomach curls as his tongue slips through his lips and he catches the blood on the end of my chin, licking upwards until he reaches my lip. His lips never so much as brush off mine, but his tongue glides over the cut he created, and though it hurts, the bleeding stops.

Before I can process this obscene violation, he whirls me away from the wall until I'm standing alone in the centre of the room.

"To me," he confirms, smug and unwavering.

I touch my swollen lip. It feels hot with the blood that pumps underneath. "You're such a fucking pervert!" I scream, stamping my foot. He laughs at me.

"Now now," he coo's, in a voice that makes my hand ache to punch him right in his pretty face. "That's no way to speak to your Master."

"_Master?_"

"Yes," he nods. "You are my birthday present."

My head whirls in confusion and rage. I'm starting to need my inhaler yet again, but it's on the bed and I won't get there before he stops me. I close my eyes and try to pace my breathing, but I'm so infuriated.

"Let me look at you," he muses, circling me slowly. I try not to pay attention to him, focusing on my breathing, but now he's commenting.

"A bit on the small side," he ponders. I clench my teeth. "A bit skinny too. Good curves I suppose. Breasts could be bigger though..." I'm breathing fire. What an asshole! I want to give him another kick but my knee is still throbbing. I fold my arms protectively over my little-less-than-c-cups. Peronally I think they're fricking lovely. Nice and round and firm. But APPARANTLY it wasn't enough for some people.

"But beggars can't be choosers, I guess," he shrugs. "You'll do."

I'm _so_ angry. Forgetting that he can effortlessly overpower me if he wants, I stomp over to the bed and snatch up my inhaler, taking puff after puff of air while he watches me curiously.

"Happy fucking birthday," I spit.

**Despite the disheartening lack of response, I uploaded the second chapter because I had it prewritten. I've started the third chapter too, and if I get at least ONE review, I'll upload it. But if I don't then I'm deleting the story altogether.**


	3. King Of The World

**Am REEEEEEEEEALLY pleased with the responses. Thanks SO much to everyone that reviewed, you guys have seriously uplifted my spirit right here! And trust me, it needs uplifting as I'm stuck in bed with a fucking vomiting bug of some sort and I've got a little kid poking me with an open sharpie marker (herin lies my inspiration for chapter one!) So thanks a whole motherfuckin' heap everyone who reviewed. Much love and sexy Alec kisses your way babes ;D**

_So get up, get out and I'll show you,_

_What it means for me to control you,_

'_Cuz I'm the_

_Fuckin king of the world_

I swear to God, this dude gets off on lording power over people. He doesn't let me go back to sleep. He doesn't even let me leave his side the whole night. I have to trail round after him, mumbling swears and trying to conjour up a witchy hex to zap the prettyness right outta him. Any time my eyes start sliding shut he snaps his fingers in front of my face, which is both annoying and degrading. No wonder dogs snap at people that do that. I'm ever so tempted to try and bite his fingers off, but I think that will just leave me with a pissed Alec and some shattered teeth...

"Hurry up, human. I don't have all night," he snaps, beckoning me. I send him an exhausted glare. I'm so fucking TIRED. The jetlag is not helping. I stopped swearing at him ages ago, when it was dark. It's almost daylight now. The candles and freaky lanterns lighting up the hallways aren't really needed anymore.

When I don't move quick enough for him, he grabs my wrist in a bone-crunching death grip and hauls me along. I'm normally quite a graceful, well-balanced person. Now exhaustion and pissed-off-ed-ness makes me stumble and trip. Once or twice I accidentally kick his ankles. Once or twice. Accidentally.

"Fucking _stop_ that, human!" He commands.

"Stop _dragging_ me then," I whine. He stops suddenly, thinking.

"I'm going to have to get you a collar and a leash," he muses, an impish smirk on his face.

I snap out of my sleepyness. "You will _not_!"

"I like that idea," he purrs, as if I hadn't spoken. His grip on my wrist tightens and I'm yanked closer to him, my body slamming into his. "I've always wanted a _dog_."

"Bullying humans, Alec?" A sultry voice purrs. I manage to turn my head away from Alec to see a woman sauntering towards us. I recognise her instantly. She's still wearing her cloaked uniform, but it's customised like her hair. The cuffs of her sleeves are studded with dark blue and red beads. The seams are sewn with purple thread, and she's fashioned two little horns on the hood of her cloak.

"Corin," Alec regards her with recognition, and something else. She smirks and tosses her straight white hair over her smooth shoulders. "Off duty?"

"For now," she says, eyeing me up and down. "Aro got you a new plaything, I see." She bares her teeth, in a move that's both playful and seductive. This should absolutely terrify me. But I'm just too fucking tired to give a shit. Let her kill me if she wants, then maybe I won't have to spend another minute with this fucker who _still_ hasn't let me go.

"He has," Alec muses, picking up on something I didn't notice. "A new pet. Faulty in some areas, but somewhat sturdy. Hopefully more so than Felix's last one."

They're talking about me like I'm fucking not here. If there's one thing that really annoys me, it's being ignored. I stamp my Doc-Marten covered foot over Alec's toes. He barely reacts, only gripping me tighter. I shall have bruises.

Corin watches me with amusement. "I _heard_ she was feisty."

"I'll soon knock it out of her," Alec promises fiercely.

"Now now," Corin chastises in delight. "Aro wants her alive, you know that."

"For now, anyway."

Long blood red fingernails come to rest on my bare arm. I cringe at the contact. "When you're bored with her, pass her along to me. Let me have _my_ fun. Aro hasn't let me have a pet since I broke my last one."

She pouts, and Alec laughs darkly. "Yes, he was annoyed alright. But then again, you probably should have known better. Humans are food, not fuckbuddies."

Corin laughs merrily. "So that isn't your plan for this one, then?" Her nails scrape softly down my skin, and she takes my free hand. I'm trapped between the two of them. My heart pounds frantically, and I force myself not to quiver.

"I'm not sure," Alec ponders. "We'll see."

Corin releases me and takes a measured step back, her eyes studying me.

"I _like_ this one. She smells like cinnamon and coconut."

Alec rolls his eyes. "I hadn't noticed."

Corin bares her teeth again. "How does she taste, then?" She asks curiously as her roving red eyes land on the cut on my lower lip.

"Sweet," Alec tells her. "With a bit of spice."

"Ooh," Corin smiles widely, breathing in with appreciation and then sighing. "Well, when you grow tired of her, bring her along to my room. You know I'm a sucker for the pretty ones."

"Unlikely," Alec says. "Not only do I have plans for this one, but you said so yourself, Aro wants her alive."

"Perhaps," Corin drawls. "Though he won't be objecting to some play, not if he gave her to _you_ of all people."

"Better me than Felix," Alec replies.

"Maybe," Corin murmurs, not paying attention. I'm not oblivious to the fact that her eyes are locked on my throat, and she's breathing deeper than before. Alec growls, a low sound that comes from deep in his chest.

"Just a taste," Corin pleads, sliding closer a step. Alec takes a very small step towards her, a sinister look on his flawless face making her back up again, sighing. "You're mean."

"Since when is it so, that I am mean to _you_, and not the other way round?" Alec cocks his head sideways, a sly smile gracing his features.

"Since you got yourself a pet to entertain yourself with," Corin grumbled. "What's her name, anyway?"

Alec's sly smile spread into a full on grin. "Nyxie," he replied. I freeze.

"Cute," Corin laughs, tweaking the ends of my long hair.

_Okay, maybe it would be smart not to talk just now_, the rational side of my brain warns me. _You don't want to piss the scary bastards off._

_Fuck that shit! Rip these fuckers throats out! How dare they treat you like some little dog at a show? Show these wankers what for!_ The reaction-side responds feverishly.

_Oh jeez..._

_Atta girl!_

My teeth clench in rage. "_Nyxie_?" I yelp furiously, making them both start.

Alec's face smooths out. Corin's eyebrow is quirked in amused delight.

"Correct. Nyxie," Alec replies.

"It's _Phoenix_!" I growl, my hands clenching into angry fists.

"I like that name," Corin broods.

"Oh go fuck yourself, you murderous bitch!" I yell. She looks shocked. "Quit with the making hungry eyes at me and get lost. _Right now_!"

Her face brightens and her open mouth morphs into a wide smile. She laughs, a beautiful sound like honey and windchimes.

"Oh Alec, I _really_ like this one!" She places a hand on his arm, the one that holds my wrist. She's the bravest thingamawhatsit I've met so far. The others wouldn't even set a foot inside his room. She's _touching_ him. The seductive smile returns, ladies and gentlemen! I'd be a complete moron not to notice that there's a serious "thing" going on between these two.

"Like I said. When she starts to bore you, bring her to me. You know I'm a real sucker for the pretty ones."

With a wink of those ruby eyes, she saunters off down the long elaborate hall at ridiculous speed.

"Come with me," Alec demands, yanking me away with him once more, the opposite direction from Corin, the one that murdered Aurelio.

Some may call me a tactless person. Others may see me as incredibly nosy. But the thing is, I'm both, bitches. Not to mention I get straight to the point. And if I have a question, I'll have no problem asking it.

"So, All Powerful Douchebag, how long have you and Corin been boinking?"

He stops dead, staring and staring at me. He looks absolutely shocked. I can't help but snort.

"Oh _please_! How oblivious do you think I am?" I sigh. I hope he keeps underestimating me. If he does, escaping this place should be pretty easy shit.

"I do not believe that my sex life, past or present, concerns you, Nyxie," when he says my name, his voice slips into a teasing purr. A complete "can't touch this" attitude. "Well, not yet, anyway."

"Idle thre-ats," I sing song softly, but my heart speeds up. He isn't serious. He's not.

"We'll see," he waves his hands dismissively. "Now, get back to my room. You need a bath. You smell awful."

"I thought I smelled like cinnamon and coconut," I protest, taking a self-conscious sniff of my shirt. Maybe these last couple million hours are taking a toll on me.

"Corin does not think with her brain, so much as she thinks with her thirst," Alec says firmly. Then he realises something. He takes a step back and looks me in my eyes.

"You have not asked what we are yet," he muses.

I return his burning gaze, trying to keep my voice even. "We're Pet and Owner. You told me already," I say bitterly.

His brow furrows. "I meant-"

"I know what you meant," I interrupt. "Maybe I'm not ready to know. Maybe I just don't care shit. Either way, I'd like that bath now."

After one more quizzical look, he leads me back to his bedroom without another word.

He glides through a single wooden door without a backwards glance at me. I blink after him, sighing. What a grade-A fucker. I'm so tempted to lie back on the bed and sleep some hours away, but, call it a HUNCH, I doubt I'd get much sleep with him around. Maybe I can fall asleep in the bath or something.

I hear water running. I can also smell something soothing. Lavender? I snort; how manly. I've never understood certain girls' fascination with girly-looking boy-men. I like a dude that looks like a GUY, y'know? Someone rugged and raw and masculine. Not some perfumed adocescent that douses himself in brutal collogne to 'attract' a girlfriend. Ahahaha, NO. Not up my alley bud. If I wanted someone girly, I'd become a full-on lesbian.

Speaking of lesbians, Alec walks in and gestures to the door. "Your bath is ready," he tells me. "If you are more than fifteen minutes in there, I will come in and get you out."

Somehow, I don't doubt that he will. I slip past him quietly, drained. I'm not up to an arguement. With weak arms, I shut the door behind me. With one last-ditch effort to get one up on him, I triple lock the door from the inside. I hear him scoff, then I hear the sounds of a TV and a familliar programme switches on. Bones.

I grin softly. I silently pray that he'll turn it up so I can listen in my bath. I've missed a bunch of episodes in the newest season. How am I to know that Booth and Brennan didn't have a delicious, orgasmically hot session together, and I missed it?

Gosh, I am freaking hooked on that show.

I have half a mind to stride back out into the room and plonk myself on the bed and stare like a zombie at the TV, but one inhalation of the soothing lavender bath salts have me whirling around to face a huge, ornate white bath, filled with hot water and bubbles. There are fluffy black towels laid out all around. There's also a long counter with a wicker basket on top. Curiously, I peer inside.

It's full of female products, toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush, shampoo and conditioner, a facecloth, female deoderant and bath products, which expains the soft lavender scent wafting around the room. There are little soaps and moisturisers and everything a girl could wish for, including new makeup.

Candles all over the bathroom on different shelves and crevices give off a soft glowing light for me to see in.

With a sigh of contentment, I decide the bath might be getting cold. I carefully kick off my Docs, wriggle out of my tight black jeans and peel off my shirt. When they drop to the floor, I notice in complete alarm that my shirt is stained with dark spatters and blotches.

_Blood_.

Oh Holy Jesus. Swaying with nausia, I turn away from my clothes and undo my plain bra, dropping it to the black tiled floor too, and kicking off my matching panties. I slide into the hot water, shuddering. Desperately, I dunk my head and scoop up handfulls of water, sloshing it over myself in a desperate attempt to get rid of the spatters of blood on my skin that I hadn't noticed before. I shiver in desperation, breathing hard, when I wonder of any of it belongs – _belonged_ – to Aurelio.

I wash my hair thoroughly, combing through the wild tangles underwater with my fingers, practically clawing it right out of my skull. My nails scrape over the skin of my shoulders, raking over the stubborn spatters that won't budge. With a desperate whimper, I scratch at my skin, cringing at the pain – my nails are sharp.

I've never been wary of blood. Ever. I used to be morbidly fascinated by the stuff. But I suppose witnessing a mass murder can change a person a little bit.

I clench my hands into fists and slide further under the water, trying to relax. The hot water is soft and soothing. I feel the duzzy panic subside, and I breathe deeply, unclenching my muscles. Relax, _relaaaaax_...

_Bang bang bang_. "Five minutes, Nyxie."

"_Fuck off!" _I yell furiously. Alec laughs from outside.

"Don't make me come in there."

"You can't, I locked the door," I jeer. With this reassurance, I lay back, letting the water and bubbles wash over me.

And then the door recieves a vicious kick from the outside, sending it whirling open in a microsecond. It smashes and splinters against the corner of the marble counter, before moving weakly back to touch the intrudor's booted foot.

Alec is standing in the OPEN doorway, his hands tucked into his pockets. He eyes the remnants of the bathroom door with distaste.

I can't even screech. My mouth is hanging open in complete shock.

"I can't believe you broke my door," Alec sighs, all faux sadness and shame.

"_What_!" I yelp, finding my voice again, in full-throttle roar. "YOU broke your door! YOU broke it! Because you're an obnoxious asshole who can't give a girl some fricking peace for two fucking MINUTES!"

"Don't be mean, Nyxie," Alec replies in an oddly chirpy voice. This bitch must love a good old fashioned slagging-match.

"GET OUT!"

"It's my bathroom."

"Which I HAPPEN to be using!"

"So?"

"SO GET OUT!"

Alec grins widely, then takes a step backwards so he's standing outside, beyond the battered doorframe.

"There you go," he says. "I'm out."

Before I can leap out of my bath and attack him, something beeps. His wrist appears beside his face, and he presses a button on an expensive looking watch. "Time's up. Out of the bath, Nyxie."

I fold my arms over my breasts, which I realise are miraculously covered by bubbles. "No. I'm not finished."

"I believe that you are."

"I believe that you are a douche."

Alec clicks his teeth, as if he was calling a dog. "Be a good girl, Nyxie."

"Bite me." When his eyebrows perk up into his hair, I pale a little. "That was a threat, fucker. Not an invitation."

Alec cocks that pretty head to one side, then in a flash, he's gone.

Before I can take a breath of relief, arms hoist me out of the water and I'm wrapped in a cage of fluffyness. WHAT THE FUCK!

"_Alec_!"

"Yep."

"_Put me down_!_ Right now_!"

And so he does. He drops me onto the bed and whirls through two double doors. He closes them so quickly I can't see what's inside. I take the oppertunity of his absense to wrap the massive towel properly around my body, hiding my valubles. Just as I've encased my chest, he's laying a black shirt over my covered lap.

"This is for you to sleep in," he tells me in slow, carefully pronounced words, as if hes talking to someone mentally inferior.

Why do I suddenly want to cry? Is it the thought that I'll finally get to sleep? Yeah, lets go with that.

I don't have to take a deep breath to inhale the sweet, musky scent of the shirt. "It's yours," I reply coldly, shoving it back into his hands.

"Yes," he replies, confused. I sigh as if I'm terribly bored with the conversation.

"So I don't want it. I don't want _anything_ of yours."

"You have to wear it so my scent will linger on you. Then the others here will not be quick to try and kill you."

I don't respond. I just pick at the pearly black buttons with my head bowed and my hair dripping.

"And I suppose, if you don't want anything of mine, that you don't want my bed?" Alec continues in a conversational tone. Damnit, he's found a weakness and is probing at it shamelessly.

With a jolt of panic, I realise that it _is_ his bed. Which means he'll be sleeping in it. With me.

HA! Oh, I crack myself up sometimes. As if that would ever happen.

"No, I don't. I'd rather sleep on the sofa than share a bed with you," I reply, my voice wavering dangerously, gesturing to the living room setup in front of the TV; a big long corner sofa and a glass coffee table with several magazines spread across it.

He looks at me as if I'm missing something obvious. "I don't sleep," he tells me slowly. "Us sharing a bed will not be an issue, trust me."

"Of course you don't sleep," I say weakly."Why would you, like?"

"Get ready and go to bed," he orders. "I must visit my sister."

And he walks briskly to the door, closing it behind him. In the same second, he comes back in.

"What the fuck happened to my lock?" He sighs, annoyed. I shrug my shoulders, the picture of innocence.

With an agitated sigh, he points a long, pale finger at me. "Do not leave this room."

I don't dignify his comment with a reply. He leaves again, shutting the door with more force than neccisary.

I walk slowly back into the bathroom and unplug the bath, hooking the plug around the taps so it doesn't get sucked back into place. I dry myself properly with a different towel, slide my bra and panties back on and then slip his shirt over my head. It's the first step I've made towards being obedient so far.

Rummaging through the basket, I come up trumps with what I need. I brush my teeth and wash my face. Felling a shitheap cleaner, I crawl under the covers. It's like sliding between sheets of ice, but I curl up in comfort nevertheless.

Finally, something clicks.

He's gone. I can _escape_!

But when I try to lift my head from the downy pillow, it sinks straight back down as if I'm balancing a weight on top of it.

Fuck it, I'll escape tomorrow.

**This chapter was tres dull, I know. But it's the best I can come up with in this condition -_- The next chapter will be more lively, pinky promise.**

**Oh, and the song is by Porcelain and the Tramps. I suggest looking it up. Porcelain is a fucking Goddess.**


	4. Some Of Them Want To Use You

**Am feeling marginally better today, so I decided to take a crack at another chapter before I'm forced to toddle on back to school. **

**In this installment , we meet Jane, Aro again, and another additional character that belongs to yours truly. Oh, and Gianna fits in here too somewhere, but I really don't care about her much.**

**Also, excuse my ridiculous spelling. My head's not in the right place and somehow the spell checker is broken on my laptop dealy. (I blame the small child that finds it funny to write his name over and over and OVER again on the keyboard.)**

**OH! And before I forget, there's a poster for the first chapter of this fanfic on my POLYVORE! Wahey. The links on my profile.**

_Sweet dreams are made of this,_

_Who am I to disagree?_

_Some of them want to abuse you,_

_Some of them want to be abused..._

When I wake up I feel stiff. Achey all over. My back, my chest, my arms and legs, even my neck. But on the upside, I'm not tired anymore.

"Finally," that irritating, arrogant, infuriating, godlike, sexified, skin-crawling voice says. "I was bored waiting for you to wake up again. Do you always sleep for this long?"

Alec is actually wearing regular clothes today. A pair of ordinary black jeans and a t-shirt that fits him a little too well for my liking. I have to force back a grin when I see he's wearing a pair of Docs. Ordinary black ones without the shine, and they've got stainless steel caps on over the toes.

So he _can_ look somewhat normal. Somewhat. His clothes might be ordinary, but the rest of him is still disturbingly beautiful. The way he's leaned back against his desk emphasises the muscles in his chest and upper arms. Which is as drool-worthy as it is depressing. How can such a cocky fucker be so pretty? Not fair. SO not fair.

"Only when moronic whatever-you-are's decide to drag me around a freaking castle for the whole night," I yawn, stretching out my limbs.

"Not the _whole_ night. Now hurry up and get ready. We have to go and see my sister. Right now."

Oh jeez. Sister. Why does that sound so incredibly not-good that I want to crawl right under the covers and die there?

"Sister?" I groan, raking my hair back from my face. "Wonderful. Fabulous. A girl version of _you_. What could be better?" What can I say? Girls tend not to like me. I tend not to like girls. This girl is Alec's sister. This is such a lose-lose scenario.

"Yes, and Jane does not like to be kept waiting. I promised to bring you to her the moment you woke up," he declares.

He tosses something at me, and since it is the morning and I am most defenitely not a morning person, I do not catch it. It bounces off the tips of my fingers and lands on the sheet. Alec scoffs.

"Humans," he mutters.

I grab the hairbrush he threw at me and tug it through my hair. I went to sleep when it was wet so now it has too many tangles to deal with. However, I'm getting quite sick of losing at this point and if I have to rip every hair from my head to get the knots out, then so be it. I seize the brush with determination and start yanking it through my hair, which is surprisingly soft.

"So," I say, through my grimaces of pain as I tweak my roots. "About the food situation..."

Alec raises a brow. "What about it?"

I stare at him. There's a pause as I wait for him to get it. He doesn't. "When can I have some?"

Alec sighs. "We'll see. We're going to the kitchen anyway. Maybe you can scavange something from there."

"You're such a thoughtful person."

"I know."

Upon every brush, my wrist protests. With a grumble, I switch hands and push the cuff of his shirt up above my elbow, so I can examine my right wrist. Then I stare in complete shock.

"What...what did you _do_ to me?" I choke. All witty comebacks on my part soar out the window. My wrist is encircled with bruises. Distinctly, handprints.

_How the fuck...?_

Alec drifts closer. He carefully placed his hand under my wrist to examine it. The coldness of his skin is almost soothing. After a second and a half of deliberation, he shrugs. "You knew I was strong, yet you still inststed on struggling. And human flesh is so very fragile."

I yank my wrist away from him, glaring fiercely. He doesn't give a shit that he hurt me, and he's trying to tell me it was _my_ fault.

"I _hate_ you," I snap, gathering up as much fury as I can. His eyes burn into mine with painful intensity.

It's only then that I realise how _close_ he is. He's sitting right beside me on the bed, his knee a centimetre from my thigh. I cringe away from him. In a smooth, confident move, he sweeps my wrist back up into his grip, and I try not to wince at the pain.

"No, you don't," he purrs, bringing my wrist closer to his face. His lips brush gently above the spot where my pulse throbs. Typically, it speeds up, pounding my blood underneath the paper-thin skin between my veins and his lips. He inhales deeply, appreciatively. Then he drops my wrist and leans back. I exhale in relief.

"What, no recreational tasters?" I say bitingly, nursing my injury. The cut on my lip is stinging less.

He smiles widely, showing his pearly teeth. "Not now, Nyxie. Maybe later."

And then he's up and off, snatching a cell phone off the desk as it buzzes. He doesn't look back to me as he barks orders.

"Get ready. I'm giving you half an hour. Be dressed and ready to leave by the time I get back," he glides swiftly towards the door.

"Where are you going?" I demand, just to be annoying.

"Aro wants to see me. It shouldn't take long."

Ah, the psychotic creeper. "Tell him I said hey."

Alec eyes me strangely, then shuts the door behind him.

With a sigh, I wander back into the bathroom. Fucking Alec. Thinks he can fucking tell me what to do. Not fucking likely.

However, I want to brush my hair properly and clean my teeth. But I decide to do it ridiculously slowly, so when he comes back, he'll have to wait for me. I brush my teeth three times 'till I'm sure my breath stinks of peppermint toothpaste. It sure tastes like it! Fucking peppermint, I hate it! I much prefer spearmint. It's sweeter somehow. I will have to demand spearmint toothpaste. Hey, if I'm a prisoner here, I may as well get some good shit outta it.

I comb my hair through so many times that it crackles with static electricity and tickles my cheeks. I want to tie it back to keep the persistant thickness of it out of my face, but I realise that I left any and all hair accessories behind in my race to escape social services.

_FUCK_.

I tuck it behind my ears instead, tugging anxiously on the hem of the shirt I wear. It rests on my mid-thigh, a good four or five sizes too big for me. The cuffs hang down below the tips of my fingers, and although the top button is done up the collar still falls to my collarbone.

I decide I'd feel much more comfortable in my own clothes, even if they are all bloodstained and gross. I rummage around the bathroom where they were, ahem, _left_ last night before I had a chance to retrieve them.

I can't find them.

My jeans, my shirt, even my boots are missing. My custom-made Celtic ring, metal cuff bracelet, and watch are gone too. My earrings in the shape of flames are still screwed into my ears. My tongue piercing is in place too.

I hear the bedroom door shut quietly, and I fly back into the main room.

"_Alec_! Where are my clothes?" I yell at the startled whatever-he-is. Alec recovers quickly enough, then replies without emotion.

"I threw them away."

And that, ladies and gents, is when the world stops turning.

Alec is obviously not the brightest crayon in the box when it came to women. Because if he had the slightest tiniest bit of sense, he would know never _ever_, to joke about a girl's clothes. Especially when they were pretty much the only ones she had.

My expression had to pretty much like grim death at this point, because Alec looks a little bit staggered.

"You're kidding, right?" I say, my voice all hushed.

Alec shakes that pretty dim head of his. "Your boots and jewlerry are over there, but I threw the rest away," he tells me. A frown takes place upon his face. "Why do you look like you're about to explode?"

"_You threw away my clothes?" _I scream, outraged. My hands form fists in my hair.

"They were ruined. I saw no point in keeping them. And _quiet down_, will you? The others need no more incentive to kill you already! Disturbing them with your shrieking will bring about your death."

"I want to bring about _your_ death!" I howl, outraged. "You bastard! How could you throw my clothes out? They're all I have!"

"I _said,_ quiet down!" Alec snarls, taking a few steps forward, his teeth bared viciously. I do, but only because I'm so choked up in rage that I can't force any words past the lump in my throat.

Alec straightens out of his crouch. "Now," he says calmly. "I have more clothes for you, a mere temporary measure until we find you some more."

He grabs me, lightly, and spins me around to face a small black pile on an elaborate trunk at the end of the bed. The trunk has a huge padlock on it, which gives me the urge to pout. I'm good at picking locks, but not _that _good.

Beside the pile are my boots and my jewlerry, as well as a new necklace. It looks a bit like my studded punk bracelet, only it's more like a choker. The studs are set in black leather, which I appreciate. I have a thing for leather. Don't ask.

I touch the choker with outstretched fingers, while Alec scrutinises my every move.

"Here," he offers, his voice gentler than before. He takes the choker from me and carefully ajusts it around my throat. He clips it into place with plenty of breathing room.

"There," he declares, a small smile on his face. Victory, for the fact that I'm quiet for once?

He goes for a quick shower while I get dressed in my new clothes. Actually, the only 'new' items are a pair of tight, dark grey skinny jeans and a big belt with an elaborate buckle. The belt isn't for the jeans. I'm forced to keep wearing the big shirt, but I use the belt to clinch it at the waist so I don't look quite so ridiculous.

When Alec returns (and let me recap, he went for a 'quick' shower. Now, to you and me, a 'quick' shower might be ten to fifteen minutes, right? Well, I'm timing this on Alec's insanely complicated watch that he's not entirely aware I swiped off his nightstand, the type that seriously deranged athletes have. He's out in two minutes and forty three seconds, dead. Freaky dude...) his hair is all damp and tousled and looks pretty fucking fantastic. I feel a weird little _whumph_ in my lower belly when I see him. It's so unfair. How can such an asshole look like an immaculate angel?

Life sucks, thats fucking how.

Alec's eyes sharpen to red slits when he spies his watch in my hands. I force myself to meet these freaky shit eyes.

"What?" I demand, trying to keep my tone pointed. "I wanted to time you. Your idea of fast and _my_ idea of fast seem to come from whole other dimensions."

"You have no idea," Alec grumbles, snapping it out of my hands and fastening it around his wrist in the blink of an eye. Then he looks up at me through thick black lashes, and the bangs that flop wetly in his face. "What?" He demands.

Whoa oh. I don't realise till now that I've been staring at him like a drooling moron on crack.

"You look like Justin Bieber with that hair," I babble senselessly, going for insult. It works. Alec hisses and lunges forward.

"Little _bitch_," he hisses furiously, grabbing a hank of my own hair near the roots. I give a yelp of pain and try not to move, knowing that it'll just hurt more.

"Ow, _ow_!" I yell. "Let go! Stop fucking grabbing at me. OW, man you're hurting me! _Let go_!"

Let me set the record straight, I don't have anything _against_ 'lil ol Justin per se. I just think he's a teensy bit gay. And his voice pisses me off. And he's very full of himself. But in fairness to the dude, he probably gets more pussy than a cat shelter. A lot more than 'ol Alec here, who seems seriously sexually frustrated.

But he lets go of my hair and shoves me towards the door. "Let's go," he says coldly. Those two words pinch my skin like chips of ice.

Rubbing my scalp with a wounded expression, I let Alec wrench me out the door and down the hall. This bitch is one bipolar psycho. One minute he's making fun of me and picking on me like we're back in elementary school, the next he's dragging me around like his pet dog and yelling at me.

I'm feeling pretty damn miserable at this point. My wrist aches, my hair is on the verge of falling out and my stomach is growling. Still, he said we were going to the kitchen. Maybe I'll get lucky and come up with a fridge full of blood bags.

Oh shit, I hope not.

Alec seems to be growing impatient with my lagging pace, because suddenly I don't feel the ground beneath my feet anymore. The air whistles past my face as Alec clutches me tightly to his chest.

"Before you yelp my name in that irritating voice of yours," he says, holding me effortlessly as if I weigh nothing. "This will be faster. Don't look down."

And because I'm pretty much programmed to do the complete opposite of what I'm told, I look down without hesitation.

_Aaaaaaaaaand_, apocalypse.

The world is flying beneath Alec's feet, which are a blur as he runs. My jaw drops open but nothing comes out, not even a scream. I get a brief flashback of being on the plane, which prompts an agonised moan. I hear Alec chuckle, enjoying my torture. After a zillion years of flying (God I loathe flying) Alec skids to a stop at the top of a narrow staircase, leading down somewhere dark. He flips me onto my feet and doesn't bother to steady me as I slump to a nearby wall.

"I told you not to look down," he smiles, a serves-you-right-bitch look on his face. I glare weakly.

"I hate flying."

"We wern't flying. We were running. Well, I was. You were lying back looking like a dead rabbit," he sounds gleeful. Yup, bipolar alright.

"Come on," he gestures for the staircase, which seems to loom thousands of steps down to hell.

"Uh, you first," I say queasily.

He rolls his eyes. "Perhaps that's not a bad idea. That way if you fall down you may not die."

I don't bother reply. I just follow.

The steps don't go on forever, like I'd worried. But they're deathly narrow and made of some old cobblestone that's a bit too easy to slip on. Well, not for Alec. He glides down the steps as if his feet aren't even touching them. I have to hold on tight to the wrought iron bannister or I'll probably end up falling and dying pretty badly.

"Be _careful_," Alec sighs, the third time I skid. "You're no good to me maimed."

"Good to know," I snap.

The steps become lighter and lighter, until I can see perfectly clearly.

"Sister?" Alec calls, not raising his voice.

"Alec," a female voice replies from below, somewhat grudgingly. "You took your time."

The steps end, and we're in a kitchen. It's straight out of a fairytale cottage. Holy Hell, it's the three bears house! Only with demons instead of furry woodland creatures and blood instead of porridge. There are counters and ovens and cupboards with little round knobs. The floor is still the same cobblestone, but the walls are plastered and painted light blue. I can easily say this is the brightest room in the castle. There's a fridge and a microwave that looks like a time machine, and there's a decent-sized light wooden table with wooden chairs surrounding it.

And lo and behold, freaking goldilocks herself is sitting perched on the end of the table, legs swinging, bright red eyes skewering Alec and I. She's utterly beautiful. It's depressing. Her blonde hair falls lightly around her angel face, her lips full and pale pink. She's very slender, like me, but delicate. She looks like a ballet dancer. When she hops off the table and glides towards us I see that she's as short as I am, which is reassuring. Her ruby eyes glitter.

Well, time to check my self-esteem into therapy.

"Ah, this is your gift, brother," she says, regarding me with interest. I take an uncertain step back. She looks like one of those little dogs you think is adorable, but then they open their mouths and puncture your skin with a killer bite.

Can anyone tell I'm not a dog person?

"Yes, Jane," Alec replies. "This is Nyxie."

"Phoenix," I hiss under my breath, not as obnoxious as usual. Jane's giving me a dangerous vibe, in total contrast with her petite self. One of her perfectly shaped brows twitches upwards.

"Strange one, isn't she? I hope you can snap the outspoken nature right out of her."

"I will, in time," Alec says. "Oh sister, you know how I love a good arguement."

"You always win, that's why," Jane's beaming smile is completely breathtaking. Blah.

"Perhaps," Alec laughs, the first genuine laugh I've heard from him in my big long two-day stay. It's twice as beautiful as Jane's, and effortlessly trumps any melodic chorus I've ever heard.

Ugh. I hate him. I want to set him on fire and _laugh_.

Then I spot someone else. Someone who escaped my notice before.

There's a boy sitting at the table, a bowl of cereal in front of him. His hair and skin are oddly contrasting, dark tan versus honey blonde, but they make him look devestatingly pretty. His eyes are big and chocolate brown. His lips are the colour of roses.

He's _human_.

Alec interrupts my shock my prodding me roughly in the ribs.

"Go eat," he orders. "Do not leave the kitchen."

And then he catches his sister's elbow and guides her back up those treturous stairs.

"Like I could," I mutter, guessing that he can probably hear me.

The boy's eyes are boring into me. I whip around to stare back at him.

"Who are you?" He frowns. He's got an accent like Demetri's, only his has a twinge of Italian in it. It's freaking lovely.

"Nyx," I reply.

"You...you belong to Alec?"

"Apparantly," I sigh, making a beeline for the refrigeratior.

"There's sandwich stuff on the top shelf," he tells me. "When did you arrive?"

"Not entirely sure," I reply. "Alec didn't exactly provide me with a calander."

The boy laughs. "He's not the nicest around."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I salute him, them my eyes zero in on a ready-made sandwich on the bottom row. This is like, a miracle or something. It's a mirage. No way there could be a ready-made meatball sub waiting for me to inhale it on the bottom shelf of this totally random fridge. No frickin way. That'd mean fate was actually doing something _nice_ for me, and that would be just too obscure to be real.

I snatch up my shred of good fortune. "This yours?" I ask, mainly out of politeness. Even if he was gonna say yes, he'd have to give it to me or kill me for it.

"Nope," he says, grinning when I tear into the clingfilm, ripping off the big _DO NOT TOUCH_ label stuck to it. "Hungry?"

"Maybe," my response is muffled by my Europe-sized first bite. I swallow appreciatavely, savouring every herb and sauce and shred of freaking lettuce.

"I'm Benjamin," he smiles, standing up. He's about as tall as Alec, but not as well built. He runs his thumb under a leather strap around his neck. The strap is studded, and has a small, pearly white padlock on it.

Wait.

"I'm Jane's," he says.

"Jane's?" I whisper, my eyes locked on his collar, fingering my own around my neck. Alec's victorious smile makes a lot more sense now. Benjamin nods, watching my expression.

"How...how long have you been here?" I asked, my voice taking on hysteria as I yank at the leather bond around my own neck. It feels a hundred times tighter, and it doesn't budge.

"Seven months," Benjamin answers. "Hey, hey easy! Trust me, it's not coming off. Do you know what the little lock is made of?"

"Lock?" I murmur, twisting it around. Sure enough, I have a little lock just like Benjamin's.

"Bone," Benjamin says gravely. My eyes bug out of my head. "Not just any bone. _Their_ bone. Well, not their's personally. Their victims. It's the hardest, most impeniterable substance in the whole world."

What. The. Fuck.

"That is _fucked_ up!" I yell furiously, darting towards the countertop. Yes, there they are. This fucking thing is coming off right _now_. I'm nobody's pet. I'm nobody's fucking little toy. Especially not some retard's like Alec. Not on my fucking life.

"What are you _doing_?" Benjamin cries when I seize a butcher's knife and aim it at the collar. Benjamin lunges at me and grabs my arms. Somehow the fucker manages to pin my arms to my sides, and the knife clatters to the floor.

"Why is everyone _grabbing_ me?"

"Because you're acting like a bloody psycho! _Listen_ to me!" He claps a hand over my mouth. "Yeah, you can cut the leather off. But the whole point of the indestructable lock is that you _don't_. The last person that ripped their collar off was bloody murdered."

I freeze, knowing that by 'bloody murdered', he really does mean _bloody_ murdered.

Benjamin loosens his grip on my arms and carefully eases me into a chair. "Here," he says, nudging my uneaten sandwich towards me. "Eat."

I do, for lack of anything else to do. Benjamin slots the knife back into place among the others, then watches my carefully. "How old are you?" He asks me.

"Sixteen next month," I supply, feeling less lightheaded and more pissed. "What about you?"

"Seventeen last week," he grins wryly. I actually grin in return.

"Happy un-birthday," I smile.

"Thankyou," he says. He twists a silver chain-bracelet around his wrist. "From Jane," he says, seeing me stare. "They do treat us pretty well. I mean, we're not like bondage slaves or anything. We're just here to keep them entertained. Well, I mean, until they get bored of us," he frowns.

I lean my elbow on the table and rest my cheek on my fist. "Are there many more of us?"

"No," he sighs. "None at all, actually. It's been just me for the past three months."

"Really?" I tip my head sideways, trying to imagine just how much that would suck.

"I'll explain it to you," he begins. "These people- Well, they're not people at all, really." He eyes me shrewdly. "Do you know what they are?"

I take note of the way he says 'what' and not 'who'. "Rather not."

He nods. "Well, they're called the Volturi. They're kind of like a Royal family. They run the...er, creature world," he edits the story for my benefit. "The family is made up of five members, but they're not really important. Well, not to you and me anyway. They're powerful. Very powerful.

"They have a Guard, for protection and such. The Guard is made up of two parts. The Lower, and The Elete. The Elete Guards are the closest to the throne. There's only nine of them. Alec and Jane are the most powerful."

"What?" I protest, my nose wrinkling in disbelief. Seriously? Someone like Felix would be able to break someone like little Jane in half with his pinkie finger.

"It's true," Benjamin grins in response to my reaction. "But that's because of their powers."

My blank What The Actual FUCK expression prompts him to continue.

"Jane can cause the worst pain imaginable, but it's just a weird kind of mind trick. Alec's is better in one way, but worse in others. He's more powerful than Jane."

Uh oh. Should have seen _this_ coming.

"He can cut off the senses."

I blink. "That...doesn't sound bad at all."

"Oh, but it is," Benjamin grimaces. "I've been on the receiving and of it more than once. It feels like death. You can't feel _anything_. You can't hear or see. You never know if you're dead or not, until he decides he wants you to wake up."

There's a beat as I take this in.

"Oh," I respond.

Benjamin's face smooths out, and he nods. "They're twins, and they're Aro's favourites. But the rest of the guard hold serious significance as well.

"When they do something worth rewarding, or if it's something to celebrate-"

"Like a birthday."

"Exactly. Well, they get presents. Mainly, jewels or some other valuble shit like that, but sometimes they get something to keep. Like you and me."

I swallow deeply. "Pets."

"Precisely," Benjamin murmurs. "They don't get pets _often_. There's never many at a time, either."

"Wait," I mumble, trying to wrap my seriously fucked mental state round all this shit. "You said it's been three months since there's been anyone but you. What happened to the last one?"

"She belonged to Demetri. Her name was Annabelle. She was nineteen. She was here for only two months before he..."

Demetri. The arrogant wanker who'd carried me to Alec's room the first night.

"He what?" I asked.

"He...broke her. It was an accident, I think. He said it was."

"How did he...?" Then I thought back to yesterday.

_Long blood red fingernails come to rest on my bare arm. I cringe at the contact. "When you're bored with her, pass her along to me. Let me have my fun. Aro hasn't let me have a pet since I broke my last one."_

_She pouts, and Alec laughs darkly. "Yes, he was annoyed alright. But then again, you probably should have known better. Humans are food, not fuckbuddies."_

"Oh," I breathe.

Benjamin nods.

"They do try to be careful with us, but they're very strong. A thousand times stringer than we are." As he speaks, he lifts his pearl grey shirt up, exposing big black and blue bruises across his abdomen.

"Holy fuck," I blurt out, touching my own bruised wrist.

"I've only been around so long because I keep Jane entertained. Not just in _that_ way. She's a talker. She enjoys conversation. I know how to respond to her in a way that she likes. But it's hard work sometimes. If I feel like I'm boring her, I don't know what to expect."

"And what happens when we...bore them?"

"We die," he says simply. "Sometimes they do it themselves, but if they're fond of us, if they liked having us around, they'll have someone else do it. Or they'll have Alec use his gift on us so we don't feel it when it does happen."

"But either way, whether we please them or not, we die," I deadpan.

Benjamin nods. "Either way, we die."

There's a grave silence.

"How are you so...composed about it?" I whisper.

"It's inevitable. I've made my peace with it. But there's still a tiny part of me that hopes..."

Upon that not at _all_ depressing note, someone else clip-clops down into the kitchen.

It's a woman. She's in her mid-twenties, dark skinned and beautiful. And human. Very much human. She regards me with disinterest, turning up her nose at me. Any other time I'd take the opertunity to piss her off, therefore, providing myself with some form of entertainment, but my soul and spirit is so utterly crushed and traumatised that I'm just too weary.

"Oh, so they brought in another one," she muses out loud, her tone such that I want to take the knife I had before and do some very interesting things with it. She looks me up and down, then murmurs to herself, "they're lacking taste lately."

Okay, _now_ I'm upset.

"And who are _you,_ sunshine?"

She turns to face me again. "My name is Gianna."

"So did you escape the dessert menu, or...?"

She sniffs dismissively. "I am the secretary. And your better, so you should becareful how you speak to me." She begins rummaging through the fridge.

"Oh. _Oh_. The secretary. Of course. Because being the secretary is _so_ much better than being the personal plaything of one of the highest-ranking Guard members _ever_."

Gianna glares daggers – and knives and flamethrowers and other feiry arsenal – at me.

"Alright, which one of you ignorant chewtoys ate my lunch?" She demands.

"Chewtoys?" Benjamin echos, faking hurt.

"Lunch?"

"Yes," she hisses, all clenchy teeth. But after being in the prescence of Alec when he was pissed, she was kinda laughable.

"Oh!" I say. "You mean that big meatball sub, with the spicy sauce, and the salad, and baby tomatoes and the weird cheese...?"

"Yes, _that_ one!"

"Oh. Yeah. That was absolutely fucking _delicious_, Gina. I owe you one for that."

She gives this hideous enraged screech, like nails on a fucking chalkboard. "How _dare_ you! You insolent little whore! That was _mine_!"

Benjamin and I exchange a glance. I shrug. "I was hungry. It was there. That a problem?"

"Yes," a smooth dark chocolate voice intervienes. "Is that a problem?"

Alec steps into the kitchen, looking like a deadly, sexy angel with a bad attitude. Gianna takes a step backwards, looking chilled.

_BOO_ yah!

I can't help but feel a little smug as Alec is terrifying Gianna on my behalf. I may even be feeling, a little grateful. A bit less resentful...

"Come on, Nyxie my dear. Aro wishes to see you."

I _hate_ this bastard!

**Okay, I lied. This chapter is NO better than the last. But next chapter we have Nyx exploring the castle and discovering something **_**interesting**_** in Demetri's room ;) Because when Nyx doesn't like someone that she can't kick the shit out of, she'll try to annoy them to the point of suicide. As you do.**


	5. Long Shot

**Because I am just this cool and have no life to speak of outside my bedroom until this bug goes to bug someone else, I am actually starting to write the next chapter just seconds after I uploaded the last. I am a sad, sad person. Lucky I don't care.**

**AND! I saw the trailer for Little Glory with Cameron Bright and he SO FUCKING HOT in it that I'm now on a CB bender so expect many chapters ahead! The guy is fucking EDIBLE.**

**Oh, and can I say a big fat FANK OOS for all the reviews :D I love you guys. But you all suck, because any time I see a new review I get this little squeaky bouncy thing goin on. And I am SO not a squeaky bouncy person. So you all suck. But I love you. ;)**

**Masked Spirit: That thought actually occured to me while I was writing the last chapter. Originally I had her wait until he was out of the room before burning the lock and taking it off, but in the second draft I rewrote it. Phoenix has a very hard outer shell, but there was a soft part inside her that had vainly hoped that maybe Alec would do something nice for her, such as giving her something pretty. Because c'mon, nobody wants to accept that the person they live with is a complete asshole. She was a bit naive about the whole thing, but that's kinda the point. She's a little human girl, and here she is yelling at vampires and trying to fight them. She seemed a bit too far-fetched to me and needed some groundings. But don't worry, she'll get her own back on Alec for that little stunt ;)**

_My heartbeat beats me senselessly,_

_Why's everything gotta be so intense with me?_

_I'm trying to handle all this unpredictability,_

_In all probability..._

Alec has me whisked out of the kitchen and up those stairs in a freaking microsecond. He pauses at the top of the stairs, then chuckles in delight.

"Gianna's heart rate is erratic. She's terrified."

"Gosh, I'm trying to muster up the decency to give a shit."

He peers down at my face. He hasn't put me down yet. "I thought you'd be in a better mood after having eaten, and terrorizing an innocent secretary." He sets me on my feet. I try to swerve away from him, unable to look at his face. Because it's the kind of face you really can't stay mad at. And I _want_ to stay mad.

One of my uprolled cuffs has slacked down to the freckle in the very centre of my forearm. Alec notices before I do, and being the pushy, dickhead gentleman that he is, can't have this flaw glaring on his newest plaything. He goes to scoot it back into place, but I flinch away from his cool fingers, rolling it up myself.

"Well," I say curtly. "I guess that proves how little you know me."

He does that cute head-tilt thing and says in a gentle, concerned voice; "What's the matter?"

I pause. That voice, the seductive look about him threatens to melt me. My core quivers. For one impulsive second I want to throw myself into his inviting stone arms.

He's like a carnivorous flower, if you'll excuse the crapness of that. He looks so sweet, so serene, so caring...but I see the way his eyes gleam. He smells an easy way to capture to my trust. He doesn't give a shit about my feelings. He marked me, left his scent on me, and gave me a collar, all to show ownership. Good people don't do that. Not that I really give a shit about good people. In fact, I find bad people much more fun. But I digress. Alec is a douchebag.

"Nothing that concerns you," I say as icily as I can. A small dent forms between Alec's brow as he watches me stalk away.

There's so much I want to yell at him. So much I want to throw at him. I'll take a broken foot if it means I can get a good kick to his groin in. I want to scream about the collar, the bite to my lip, my bruises, the fact that I'm going to die. What do I have to lose, really?

But if I say all that stuff, about the other pets, the collar, the sex, the dying...Alec will know that Benjamin told me. And Benjamin is expednable as it is. I don't want to speed up his execution. Let him keep having kinky creature-sex with Alec's baby sister. That can be my silent revenge. Baby sisters should _not_ have kinky creature-sex. And Alec seems like the posessive type.

"You're going the wrong way, Nyxie," Alec says, walking along beside me.

"No I'm not. You want me to go one way, so I'm going the other way. What's the wrong way to you, is defenitely the _right_ way to me."

Alec steps swiftly in front of me, sending my face crashing into his chest. Pain shoots through my face from the tip of my nose, which I rub ruefully.

"Have I metioned just how full-on loathesome you are?"

"Once or twice," he replies. He smiles, a wry, sideways smile. "C'mon. There's someone who wants to meet you in Aro's office. Be a good girl. There'll be a reward in it for you if you are."

"What, a silver food dish with _Nyxie_ engraved on the side?" I say sarcastically.

Alec smirks. "Maybe even a water dish too, if you're _really_ good."

I roll my eyes, which seem to narrow of their own accord. "Anything for you, _Owner_."

And then he does something completely beyond the pale, unforgivable, unimaginable. He reaches out with one hand and ruffles my hair.

"Atta girl."

He insists on carrying me to Aro, even though once he has me gathered up in his arms, he walks at regular speed.

"I don't want you running off into trouble, that's all," he insists. I snort. Aha, yeah _right_. How stupid does he think I am? This is another control thing. Dude has fucking ISSUES is all I can say on the subject.

"Like you couldn't stop me," I huff, annoyed.

"True," he grins.

The walk to Aro's is a _long_ one, but for once I'm not complaining. I'd rather face dear ol' Metri and Felix all by my lonesome with a sticky label saying "EAT ME BITCHES" stuck to my forehead than go back to this mad bastard again.

I start to writhe in Alec's arms when he starts to walk quicker.

"Stop trembling," Alec orders, trying to hold me still.

"I am not _trembling_ you crazy bitch. I'm wriggling. Put me down."

"Hold on, Nyxie. We're almost here."

To quote that fox dude from Dora, AWH _MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN_!

"Stop _calling_ me that! My name is fucking Phoenix already. I've been here two fucking days, learn my damned name already!"

"For somebody so very little, you're extremely stubborn," he says emotionlessly. "Why do you refuse to accept the inevitable? You belong to me. You are my property. I _own _you. I can call you what I like, dress you how I like, speak to you how I like, _do to you_ what I like."

There's such menace and meaning in his voice that I don't reply. I haven't gotten used to his abrupt mood swings yet.

In the next second he places me on the ground next to two huge double doors.

"Stay here, until I come back out for you," he orders, pointing a finger at me. I swear, I want to bite it off. "Do. Not. Move."

"Whatever you say, dick."

He takes this as a 'yes' and sweeps through the doors, shutting them tight behind him.

Poor naive Alec. Does he really think I'm going to stay where he puts me? Unless he plans to link a chain to my collar and attatch me to the wall.

Oh God, I had better remind myself never to say that out loud. I'll probably give him ideas.

Trying to be as quick at quiet as possible, I zap up from my crouched position on the royal blue carpet and run as fast as my legs will carry me. My heavy footsteps seem impossibly loud after having spent so much time with Alec, who's feet might as well have cushions sewn on to them for all the noise they make.

Oh yes. Oh YES! I. Am. A. Ninja.

Fucking Alec. Why can't the prick get a goddamned hobby?

Oh RIGHT! Because that would make life easier for _me,_ and we couldn't have that, now could we?

After rounding a few corners, turning around a few times, bounding up and down some staircases and passing the same picture of a weird lady with enormous hair four times, I realise I am completely and utterly, totally, undoubtably, unquestionably lost.

With a sigh, I lean against an elaborately wallpapered wall. It's not really surprising. I'm the kind of person who's sense of direction could get them lost on a straight line.

I wonder briefly if I could find Jane's bedroom. Maybe Benjamin would be there. But then again, Benjamin being in Jane's room would mean Jane being in Jane's room. Jane would give me back to Alec, probably. And I don't want to be marched back to His Fuckness quite so soon. Being lost in a giant castle filled with bloodsucking demons is much better than being anywhere in the vicinity of _him_. Oh well. It isn't as if I know where Jane's room is anyway.

Deciding to make the most of this bitty bit of freedom, I venture onwards to explore. Maybe find some ledge I can jump off.

Dawdling down the hall with my thumbs hooked into the pockets of these jeans, I pass three doors in a row. It's like a quest. One door has gold and jewels behind it, the other two contain angry, man-eating tigers. But which to pick? This needs to be figured out with intelligence, logic, and brainsmarts.

I hear voices while I'm still Eenie-Meeny-Miney-Mo-ing. Somebody's coming. Somebody who could well decide "hmm, I'm still hungry after that great fucking big massacre the other day. Hold on a minute, is that Alec's tasty looking human I spy?"

"_Fuck_!" I hiss, dithering between doors. Lunging for the third one, I fling it open and duck inside.

I was right, they're coming this way alright. The voices are getting louder.

"Is that mate of his here with him?" Voice number one asks. I recognise it. It's a man's voice. Loud and deep and intimidating, but still silky soft like everyone elses' here.

"Yeah Felix, she's here. Chelsea went out shopping with her about an hour ago," an unfamilliar voice replies.

Oh Holy Mother of God.

Fucking _Felix_ man! That great big fucking Hulk's albino cousin who tried to eat me! What's that fucker doing here? What other bitch has he with him?

Well this is just fan-fucking-_tastic_. Well, at least it won't be Alec who eats me. That'd kinda suck a whole heap of a lot.

"Maybe Chels can get us the inside scoop on the Cullens' little- hey," Felix stops. Right outside the door that I'm pressed against.

Fuck. My. Life.

"Do you smell that?" I hear deep inhilations. He's fucking sniffing me out.

"Yeah, I do," the second voice says, sounding baffled. "Another human?"

"Oh, I know what it is. Alec got a little girl. She's a real little minx. My bet is she got away from him and has been taking a look around the place."

"Should we track her down? I'll bet Alec won't be too thrilled if she gets herself in trouble."

"Nah, Afton man. Leave her off. She'll keep the kid on his toes for a while, I'll guarantee. And while he's occupied, life'll be a whole lot easier for us."

"What's her name?" Afton asks. They're walking away. I still darent breathe.

"Not sure. Aro said Phoenix, but that might be just a nickname. It's pretty unusual."

Phoenix is unusual? This coming from the walking catfood tin.

It takes about five minutes after I'm absolutely _positive_ I can't hear them anymore, to peel myself off the door. Which is covered in cobwebs by the way.

"_Bleugh_! Ugh, fuck," I groan, frantically dusting myself down. "Fucking perfect. Just _lovely_."

Jeez, they could at least hire a cleaner once every couple hundred years. Or maybe their purse strings are tied too tight.

The room is dim. It has slim windows that are so greasy and grimey it's a miracle there's any light at all. There's a light switch by the door, but even if it wasn't covered in cobwebs (which absolutely do not bother me. Nuh uh, not at all) it looks a bit too old and gone in the day to work.

There are piles and piles of cardboard boxes taped up nice and tight with masking tape. I realise with a jolt of relief that this is a storage room, and I haven't stumbled unwittingly into somebody's bedroom. I doubt that would work out entirely well for me.

This is a storage room. There's an old table that's pretty much in half, with three legs. The two halves are propped up on yet more boxes to make it seem like it's a real live table and not the cold, stiff remains of a tragic session of roughhousing.

I decide that since I'm not a hundred and one percent sure that Felix and Afton won't change their minds, come back and make me into a nice midday snack, I may as well have a nosy through some of these boxes.

Luck is on my side, as there's a pretty tragic looking penknife resting atop a big pile of boxes. I have to ninja my way up them, several buckling dangerously under my weight, to retrieve it. But once I have it I'm free to rip into the rest of them and have a good old nosy.

Silverware. Worth money I'm sure, but not that interesting. And anyway, how would I sell it? I doubt Alec would let me have access to Ebay.

Old vases. Good ammunition or makeshift baseballs, but other than that about as useful as the silverware.

I don't really know what I'm hoping for, here. Maybe some really embarrassing baby pictures to pin to a designated "Wall of Volturi Shame and Epic Fails." Or a magic sword that'll give me awesome superpowers and chop off these bastards heads with one fell swing. Or money. Cuz money's always good, even if I have no way of spending it. It's still nice to have.

I start to crawl through the boxes, on the lookout for any that seem particularily interesting. And then-

Hot damn. I spy a potential weapon. Nestled all safe and hidden between two boxes labelled '_Priceless China – FRAGILE'_ (aka: frizbees for Nyx to play with) is a crowbar. A real, raw, heavy, steel crowbar! I'll bet that if I cracked this baby where the sun don't shine Alec wouldn't be all composed and painless.

Swinging my new find happily, I slice through the sellotape of another, newish-looking box. This one is labelled '_Feast Finds_', which is as promising as it is baffling.

Inside I find a real leather jacket, a Louis Voutton purse with thirty somethings worth of some alien currency, a pocketknife with a pearly handle (which I pocket), the keys to an Austin Martin-

The keys. They're attatched to a keyring. On the keyring there's another key to what seems like a house. And then there's a picture. The picture is of a regular looking dude with light brown hair, his smiling blonde wife, and two grinning, blonde little girls.

The keys and the picture are spattered in ominous red splashes.

I drop the keys in horror, feeling sick to my stomach. I know what these boxes are full of now. Potentially valuble or interesting objects, stolen from the victims of the massacres in the feeding hall as keepsakes.

I feel a little dizzy. Damn, where's my fucking inhaler? Where the fuck did I leave it? Shit.

Trying hard to push all evil thoughts from my mind and even out my breathing, I grip the crowbar tightly for support.

This is fucking sick shit right here.

When I'm sure I'm not gonna die or pass out or something, I continue rifling carefully through the box.

There's a tiny finger puppet vampire with pointy felt teeth that belonged to a child. A gold locket with 'Lucy' engraved on it. Inside, a picture of a girl with curly red hair and her black-haired boyfriend, their cheeks pressed against one another, smiling, her engagement ring flashing.

This is _so_ fucking depressing. Why doesn't someone come along and kick a puppy while I'm here, huh? Make my day.

A tiny glass rabbit, incredibly detailed. One of the paws is broken off, leaving a jagged point. An emerald ring set in a silver band. A porcelain thimble, painted white with _Ireland_ written in green, swirly writing, and a tiny, intricate picture of a little cottage and a well.

Black leather gloves that look small anough to fit me. After a very thorough inspection, I deem them free of any spiders that might want to set up home sweet home in the fingertips. Might come in handy to have leather gloves. Maybe then if I ever decide to slap Alec, it won't hurt as much. I slide the gloves over my fingers, wriggling them playfully. The tips of the fingers bulge a little, too big for me, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. I guess it would piss the creatures off royally if they knew I'd gone through their valubles and kept some things for my own amusement. I'm not giving up the penknife.

At the very bottom of the box, there's a ragdoll. It looks home-made, the dress stitched lovingly. Her body is soft, her yellow-wool hair twisted into careful plaits. Her pale pink mouth was meant to be set in a bright smile, but while blood is staining half her white velvet face, it looks set in a permenant grimace.

I push the box away from me, not wanting to see any more.

Fuck this shit, I want out of this room. Right now.

I spin around, throwing one last sulky glare around the room.

Well lo and behold, is that a Sharpie I see before me?

No, it couldn't possibly be. Don't be stupid, Nyx. Why on earth would there be a random Sharpie waiting on the half-and-half table, ready for doodling? Or if it _is_ real and I'm not halluciniating from the stress, it's probably wasted. Wandering over to it, I pick it up between my thumb and my forefinger and yank the cap off eagerly.

It smells pretty new. Y'know that too-strong smell you can get from markers? I love it. Makes me all giddy shit.

I swipe the tip across a bit of torn cardboard. Nope, not wasted. Not even a little.

With a smirk and an ear open in case of trouble, I exit the room, seizing my crowbar and tucking the sharpie into my pocket with the penknife.

It doesn't take me long to get lost again, which is very irritating. I wanted to find my way back to Alec's room and draw some anime on his walls. I'm sure he'd appreciate the gesture of me trying to brighten up his bedroom, even if ¾ of the walls are made of cobblestone. Maybe his bathroom would like some brightening. Or whatever's in his closet.

With a grumble, I sit down on a small flight of about six stairs, wondering if I'm even on the right floor. Jeez, I suck.

I realise somewhat nervously that he knows I've done a runner by now, and he's probably hunting me down right this second. If I want to have some fun with the Sharpie, I had better have it right this instant.

I ponder over drawing on the pretentious wallpaper, but that seems a bit childish. I have a much more sophisticated idea.

Standing on the very tips of my tippy-toes, I start doodling handlebar moustaches and goofy glasses on one of the huge, fabulous, probably priceless and ancient oil paintings hanging around everywhere. This one is of two tall, beautiful woman, sporting fancy-shit tiaras and an abundance of jewlerry and incredible dresses. They both have varying shades of blonde hair. One almost golden, the other more ashy.

I decide to give them a little personal touch (not like that, you kinky freaks) and add a little goth style into the mix. I give them raccoon-eye makeup and black lipstick, black nails, high arched black eyebrows and some facial tattoos.

Standing back, I admire my handywork with a sly smile. I made these chicks _puuuurdy_.

I move onto another painting just across the hall. This one is of a city, probably Volterra, captured in the orange glow of the setting sun. I draw little stick people in various activities; paragliding, rocking out on guitars on top of roofs, leaping off roofs in silly suicide attempts, etc. etc. etc. Then there are the weird Mcdonalds m-birds flying around the sky (because in truth, they're the only kind of birds I can draw. And I still can't draw them _well_).

I'm so proud of my newfound artistic talent that I leave little notes at the bottom of every painting I improve.

And then, for fate be a cruel mistress, I hear yet more voices, approaching too fucking fast to run from. And I'm not entirely sure which direction they're coming from. Voices carry in a place like this.

Shit shit shit!

I spot a door, a few yards away. Running, I spring inside.

"Oh God, Demetri!"

Oh God is fucking _right_. I do believe I stepped right into a live porn show. Whirling around, I see that this time I _am_ in somebody's bedroom. Somebody's that I really don't want to be in. I'll take a room full of angry, man-eating tigers, please right now.

Demetri's bed is as big as Alec's. And in it is Demetri himself, riding the angel-woman Heidi like there's no tomorrow.

Aha. Ha. Ha ha. Ha. I hate my life. Ha.

Closing my eyes, I pray they don't notice me.

"The fuck?" Demetri snarls suddenly. Well, so much for that.

He and Heidi cover their indecency with a sheet. Heidi looks extremely embarrassed, but I really don't give a shit about her. In fact, I'm not talking to her at all, on account of the fact that she's the enticing bitch that brought me here in the fucking _first_ place.

"Oh!" She gasps, recognising me. Demetri recognises me too. He's furious, his eyes blazing. There's practically a vein popping out on his temple. His lips pull back across his teeth, which gleam hungrily.

Ooooohhhh hell.

"Uh, awkward..." Is all my idiot brain can come up with.

Demetri gives a growl. Like, a real lion-growl that shakes the whole room.

Okay. This, is officially bad. I would kill for a flamethrower right about now.

"Fucking _human_!" Demetri snarls.

I really want to say '_The middle of the day? Really?'_ But I sense that now probably isn't exactly the right time.

Demetri falls into a crouch on the bed (and let me remind everyone that he's naked right now, ok? So try to imagine what I'm seeing: Big scary guy about to kill me, and all I can think is 'He's well hung...' Because I am fucking STUPID like that!) , and then he disappears.

I'm slammed into a wall, making my head reel and my lungs feel like bursting right out of my chest. His iron hand is locked and clamped around my throat, pressing the lock of my collar into my jugular so I start to choke.

"Demetri, don't..." Heidi pleads softly. He ignores her.

I realise that I'm still clinging to my crowbar, so just as he starts to lean towards my throat, I swing it up with all my strength and whallop the fucker on the head.

He drops me, a little surprised. The vibrations of the impact pulse and ripple up the crowbar, stinging my hand like fucking nothing else. I drop it without thought, and it clangs to the floor. And Demetri is still standing. Apparantly all my strength equivilates to that of a marshmallow. Which depresses me.

And then Demetri fists my hair painfully, pulling me up again, and with a deafening growl, his teeth press to my throat.

I'm not _exactly_ sure what happened after that. I hear the sound of a door being kicked open, but I don't see it. Demetri snarls animalistically again, and there's an echoing one. Demetri lets me go and I slide back down the wall, gasping and clutching my throat. A bead of blood pools and drips where his teeth grazed my skin.

_I can't breathe. Again with the athsma. This is getting old._

Demetri flies away from me and I hear the deafening sound of stone smashing together. Ripping, snarling, more smashing and crashing.

Smooth arms slide under my body and lift me up, and I'm flying again.

"Shh, it's fine, it's fine," Heidi sooths, now wrapped in a nightgown. The fighting sounds are farther away now.

"The-fuck-it-is!" I gasp, not taking in enough air.

"What's wrong with you?" She asks, pressing a cold hand over mine, which is now clawing at my neck. "Shh, it's okay. Relax. Can't you breathe?"

I want to give her a "Well fucking done," but I can't find the air to do it.

"Shit," she hisses. "What do I do?"

"I know what to do," a calm voice says smoothly. A strong hand slips behind my head.

"Here," the voice says, pressing cool plastic against my lips and guiding my hand up from my neck to grab it. When he feels the tiny incision on my neck, he hisses.

I use my inhaler, taking in the air it provides until I can open my eyes again. Alec's body is close against mine, holding me up.

Never thought I'd be glad to see this retard.

"Go, Heidi," Alec says coldly. "Demetri needs help reattatching his arm, I'm sure."

Needless to say, she goes. I manage to turn my head and focus my eyes on Alec. His hair is ruffled worse than usual. His shirt is also ripped open, showing his sculpted chest. Wow, Demetri's a frisky fucker, ain't he? Can't keep his, or anyone else's, it seems, clothes on.

"You really can't help getting yourself into trouble, can you?" Alec sighs. He looks totally rumpled from the fight. He looks like an avenging angel. Which sucks. A lot.

"Nope."

"I told you to stay put, and you ran off as soon as my back was turned."

"Yup."

He touches the tiny cut. "Perhaps I should have let him eat you." Then he, carefully, lifts me up into his arms again.

"Wouldn't though. I'm freaking lovely."

"Whatever you say, Nyxie dear. Now come on, Aro is waiting for me to bring you back. No escape stunts this time. You owe me now."

I give a long groan, rubbing my eyes. "You're right."

"I'm always right. But about what in particular this time?"

Glaring at him with bleary eyes, I reply. "You _should_ have let him eat me."

**Okay, we actually DO get to Aro's office next chapter. Promise. But since I'm school-bound tomorrow the chapters shall take longer to upload than usual :( Because I suck like that.**

**Also, I'm writing Demetri as a dick because every story needs a dick, and he happens to be mine (ahaha, I fucking wish). But anywho, he will come to love our dear Nyxie eventually. Eventually. Not yet.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: The Guard hear about Nyx's run-in with Demetri, Nyx meets Aro again, and the mysterious person here to see her (can anyone guess who?) and we have more Benjamin. Because he's like a fluffy puppy and all that shit.**


	6. Nightcrawler

**Many sorries for and not writing this sooner, but I kind of may have accidentally dropped a full (thankfully closed) beer can on my laptop and broke the space button on the keyboard. Kind of an important button. Kind of needed it fixed. But if it makes you guys feel any better, being a week without my laptop NEARLY FUCKING KILLED ME.**

**Also, I just randomly fainted so if this chapter makes no sense whatsoever then blame that. Jeez, there's always something wrong with me!**

**.com/pet/set?id=39028963&lid=1197365 - The POSTER! :D**

_Straight out of hell, one of a kind,_

_Stalking his victim ,don't look behind you,_

_Nightcrawler, beware the beast in black,_

_Nightcrawler, you know he's coming back..._

This time when Alec reaches the double doors, he doesn't drop me. He swings me to my feet alright, snickering when I stumble sideways. His firm hands catch my waist, but I wriggle out of his grip. I may owe the guy my life and everything, but does that make me okay with him touching me? No it does not.

This doesn't effect him. He tows me behind him as he strides with complete confidence through the doors, letting them swing shut behind him.

"Ah," a hauntingly familliar voice chuckles. " Dear boy. You've returned with young Phoenix."

Aro rises from a big swivel chair (I push all thoughts of future entertainment with that chair out of my mind. Now is _not_ the freaking time.) behind an enormous oak desk the size of a dinner table. Behind him are three men; one is staring in my direction, but not at me. In fact, he seems to be staring straight _through_ me. Even when his eyes meet mine, it's as if he isn't seeing me. The second man has shocking white hair and a scowl that I think – I _think_ – might be cemented permenantly to his face. He regards me with total disgust, as if I'm some cockroach that just crawled up out of his fancy-shit sink drain. I return the favour, glowering at him venomously.

And uh, _young_ Phoenix? Really? Fifteen is not young. At least not by my standards. How the fuck would he like it if I called him 'Old Aro'?

Oh shit.

_Aro._

His pale red eyes locked in on me and don't move. Don't shift or even fucking blink. I have to stand rigidly to resist the instinct of flinching. As if I was gonna let him know he scares me (scares me shitless, as a matter of fact) . My pride was a stubborn bitch like that.

I'm so focused on the fact that Aro is less than five feet from me that I barely notice the third man in his prescence. This man is beautiful, obviously. Dark hair, flawless white skin, seemingly impossible features. But there's one glaring difference that sets him apart from everyother creature I've been in contact with.

His bright, curious eyes are the most freakyshit shade of butterscotch. I stare at them in astonishment, and a small half-smile appears on his face.

"Yes, Master," Alec replies. His voice is stony. Chills fizzle over my skin.

The golden-eyed man is watching Alec, looking uncomfortable. Alec ignores him completely.

Aro drifts around the table and moves towards us, and I instinctively wince back. With a knowing smile that makes me want to punch him in the face, he pokes his finger through a hole in Alec's ruined shirt. He cocks an eyebrow questioningly.

"Phoenix got herself into trouble," he explains.

"Did not," I mumble, avoiding Aro's scorching gaze. I don't glare at Alec. At least he said my name right.

Aro turns his body towards mine and, before I can protest (or throw a fit and run away screaming) he catures my hand and keeps it enclosed in his. Then he laughs out loud.

Jesus, he sounds like a mental ward patient. Maybe he's an escaped lunatic? That'd sure explain a lot. Maybe they all are. Or maybe _I_ am. The world's freaky that way.

"I must say, child, your thoughts are very amusing," Aro chuckles.

Uuuuuuuuhhhhh, what?

"Heh?" I reply. Thoughts? Mine? HEH?

"Oh yes, you are unaware of my gift!" He realises.

No shit Sherlock. My "the FUCK?" expression betrays my complete and utter.

"I can read thoughts," he tells me.

I MAY need help picking my jaw up off the fucking floor.

"I need touch, but once I have it I can read every thought the mind has ever had," he explains.

I suck in a breath, amazed at my ability to do it. "_What_?" I yelp. Everyone jumps. "Y-you like...raped my mind!"

The one with the gold eyes presses his lips together and ducks his head, his dark hair flopping down over his forehead, trying to conceal a smile. Alec is frozen beside me. Aro's eyebrow quirks further.

Whoops. Shit. I'm gonna be eaten now, aren't I?

"Brothers," Aro says calmly. "Alec. Please step out for a moment please."

Oh holy mother of God.

I throw a frantic look at Alec, a silent _Bitch if you leave me here with him I'll frickin kill you!_ But he ignores me. His eyes focus intensely on Aro as the Glare-y one and the Zombie one breeze out of the room.

"Master?" Alec says, the anxiousness in his voice betraying his perfectly calm expression. Aro smiles at him, trying to be reassuring.

"Worry not, child. I shall have her returned to you as soon as I am finished with her."

Gee, why don't I believe him?

However, Alec seems to, because he turns to leave. His eye catches mine as he leaves, meaning to reassure me. I turn away from him. If he's morphing back into the dick I knew that's leaving me in this shitty situation right here then I don't want his fucking reassurances.

And yet, when the door closes solidly behind him, I want to yell at him to get the fuck back here because no way in fucking _Hell_ do I wanna be stuck here with this scary son of a bitch!

"Take a seat, young one," Aro instructs me. He gestures to one of the big chairs sitting opposite his desk. To be honest I don't really want to be sitting down. I'd much rather be standing so I can run like hell if I need to. But the stern undercurrent in his voice leaves no margin for arguement, so I sit without complaint. The one creature left in the room, Goldy-eyes, takes one of the seats beside me.

"Now," Aro says, smiling warmly.

_Cough_BIPOLAR_cough!_

"How are you finding Volterra so far?" He asks me.

My eyes narrow. He's already read my every thought, doesn't he already know? Ah well, I may as well humor him.

"Well," I begin, counting each recollection off on my fingers. "I've been bitten, bruised, had my clothes thrown away, been dropped several times, been bitched at by the receptionist, been toted around like a handbag, given a collar, had two atshma attacks...oh, and I was attacked by dear ol' Metri not fifteen minutes ago," I finish off, returning his warmth with a spot-on demure smile.

To my astonishment, Aro laughs. "Yes, you've made quite an impact on the household," he chuckled.

"What can I say? I have a winning personality," I muttered sarcastically. "Oh yeah, by the way, who the fuck is this dude?" I demand, jerking my thumb sideways at the startled creature beside me.

"Ah yes," Aro says, nodding. "Phoenix, let me introduce you to my old friend Eleazar. He used to be a member of our family until he left with his wife."

I turn to Eleazar, who also gives me a warm, slightly shy smile. With one finger, I point at my face. "Dude, why are your eyes..?" I trail off, realising what a moron I must seem. I've been amongst red-eyed monsters for the past however many days and havn't once questioned their eye colour. But now along comes this guy with eyes a much less demonic colour than the rest and here I am grilling him about it! This place is messing with my mind, I swear.

Still smiling somewhat wryly, Eleazar speaks for the first time. "Do you know about the Volturi's...diet?"

His voice reminds me of freshly carpented wood, warm and homely. I nod, for once not wanting to go into great sarcastic detail about the bloodsucking weirdos.

"Well, mine varies from theirs," he says. "It's simply a lifestyle choice. Instead of feeding from humans, I drink the blood of animals."

"That is..." I don't know how to respond. Morally, I suppose that's better. But now I have this fucking FREAKY image of Eleazar sinking his teeth into poor lil' Bambi. Actually now that I think about it, I never liked that movie. It annoyed me. "Gross," I say finally, wrinkling my nose.

Eleazar chuckles. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"I mean jeez," I continue. "I thought biting _people_ was pretty freakish but like, at least it's better than getting a mouth full of _fur_."

I shudder at the thought.

"Phoenix," Aro interrupts my train of thought. I turn back to him, trying not to imagine him chowing down on a little bunny rabbit. "I asked Eleazar to come here as a favour to me, because I have a certain...suspicion, about you."

Well whoop de fucking do. Isn't that something. I have my suspicions about him, too. I suspect he needs psychiatric help.

"Oh yeah?" I say. "And what's that?"

"Well, Eleazar, like Alec and I, is gifted. He can sense the talents of another."

It doesn't click for me. "Ok."

"And so I asked him here because of something that happened on the first night of your arrival," he continues.

"Ok," I reply, still not getting it. My memories of that night are slightly hazy. I think my mind wants to do me a favour and wipe the slate clean.

"When Felix advanced on you, you looked him in the eye and screamed at him to get away from you, which he did. I found it odd and when I asked him about it afterwards he told me that when you did that, he felt disoriented and disconnected. It was only a split second, but he still felt it."

Well Jesus. That's...interesting.

"So you think I'm gifted?" I asked, my voice wobbling. Too weird, too weird. But also maybe cool.

"Perhaps," Aro mused."It could be something minor, like the ability to _convince_ people to do what you wish for a short length of time, or it could be something as far going as mind control."

Mind control! Now _that_ would be wicked. I mean c'mon!

_Hey Alec, be a dear and go fetch me Gianna's nice sandwich, would ya? _And he'd have no choice but to go do it! That'd be _fun_!

"What do you think, Eleazar?" Aro asks.

"I'm not sure," he said uncertainly, frowning. "Absolutely, there is a gift of some sort manifesting there, but I can't tell just how powerful it is. You were right, though. It is something along the lines of persuasion or mind domination, but it could be something totally minor."

Aro's lips formed a straight line. "So what you're saying is that there would be no way to know for sure, unless you Phoenix was changed."

Eleazar nodded grimly.

Changed? Phoenix? Phoenix changed? HUH?

Aro sighed deeply. "I shall talk it over with my brothers and Alec. He is the one to whom the girl belongs, after all."

_The girl_. Charming. Well, it's a step up from Nyxie.

"Now, my dear. There are some other things I'd like to discuss with you,"

Ooooooooof course there are. Why wouldn't there be?

"What are they?" I ask.

"Alec," he responds. "And the reason you're here. Well, they're one in the same, really."

My brow furrows until I wait for him to go on.

"Why do _you_ think you're here?" He asks me.

"Uh...because Alec broke all the other toys in his toybox?"

Aro chuckles. "Something like that. No. More so that my dear one has been rather...unfulfilled in the past year. He does his work, he posesses several valubles and things he holds dear to him, he is surrounded by his friends and loved ones, and yet..." Aro sighs deeply, rubbing his forehead. "It's all...hollow, I suppose. He acts happy, he _seems_ happy, but he doesn't feel it. Not really.

"I try to indulge him, letting him feed off bad habits and whatever takes his interest at the time, but it always slips away. It takes a toll on him, and he's tired...

"I wondered if he was lonely. After all, being a member of our organisation doesn't leave much time for socialising, even if the rest of our world weren't scared of us. I've often wished for him to find a mate. In truth, I would like it for all my dear ones. But Alec and Jane especially. They have eachother, the closest relationship either of the two have, but it isn't the same. Neither is their relationship with Chelsea. It never could be the same as the bond of a mate. All these centuries I've waited for either of my dears to find someone, but sadly neither have. Alec himself doesn't _want_ a mate. He isn't what you'd call the 'commitment' type.

"So I wondered for something to capture his interest and enthusiasm. I wasn't thinking of giving him a _pet_ – something so simple could never be the answer. And yet when I read your thoughts in the dining hall I wondered. If nothing else, you could entertain him for a little while."

Aro smiles brightly, his sober mood lifting instantly. "And it seems I have been right. You intrigue him; you're a challange. You're not mindlessly drawn to him as most humans would be. You're disobedient and outspoken. I think you will be a good little companion for him," Aro continues smiling.

"Eleazar, would you be a dear and take young Phoenix back to Alec's room, please?" Aro asks.

"Of course," Eleazar responds, rising fluidly.

"As a matter of fact, Phoenix, you can tell Alec that I told you he is to take you shopping for more human supplies," Aro says.

"He won't like that," Eleazar grins. Aro shrugs.

My first thought is _yay! Shopping!_ But my second thought is _shopping with Alec_. This should be interesting.

"Oh and Phoenix?" Aro calls as I jump out of the chair and sprint door-ways.

"Yeah?" I reply, happy to be leaving.

"I shall be sending all those paintings to your room to be scrubbed."

Eleazar walks me back to Alec's room.

"I have questions," I proclaim as soon as we're away from Aro's office.

"I thought you might," Eleazar sighed. "I can't promise I can answer them all for you."

"Try," I order. "Why did you leave with your wife?"

He seems relieved. "When I found her, I was still a Volturi member. She was not. I had been thinking for some time about life outside of Volterra. I had been..._born_ there, so to speak, so I wasn't entirely aware of how to live any other way. But when I found Carmen," his voice softens when he says her name. I can't help a small smile. "She opened up a world of possibilities for me. And the Volturi's lifestyle never really suited me, if I'm being honest."

"Okay," I say, satisfied with his answer. "Who's Chelsea?"

Eleazar seems happy that my interrogation isn't too daunting. "Chelsea is a member of the Elete Guard, here with her mate Afton. Her talent is the ability to manipulate relationships."

"Oh," I reply. "Like, she could make people madly in love, and the next second make them hate eachother?"

"Exactly."

"Jeez. Sounds kinda..."

"Manipulative?" Eleazar supplies, grinning. "I suppose it could be. But truly, she isn't crazy with it. The farthest she'd go would be, for example, to mend a broken relationship within the Guard, or swear another's loyalty to the Volturi. Or, like she did with Alec and Jane when they first came here, help them trust the Masters and the rest of the Guard."

"Oh yeah, what is her relationship to those two?" I ask, recalling what Aro had said.

Eleazar sighs suddenly. "This story takes some telling."

I stop walking suddenly, then plant my back against the wall and slid downwards until I'm sitting. "We've got time. Alec doesn't know when I have to be back."

"I suppose," Eleazar says hesitantly. In the next second he's on the floor beside me.

"I'm not sure how to begin," he muses. "I suppose I'll start with when the twins first arrived.

"It was well over eight hundred years ago. They had had a difficult life. Their father was a drunken bastard," the harsh way he says the last two words made me think that Eleazar takes it personally. His golden eyes flicker down to me, and I see him mentally edit the story. "And they grew up without a mother. Now, Chelsea had everything she could have wished for – immortality, a loving husband, a fulfilling lifestyle – or so she believed. It took a while for her to realise that the small empty part of her wanted children.

"Of course, this was impossible. She learned to accept it. But it didn't stop her wanting it.

"When the twins arrived, they were in a bad way. Traumatised. They were the most vile, vicious newborns any of us had ever come across. It wasn't their fault and we all knew it, bt a lot of people were worried about being assigned to them."

"Assigned to them?" I frown.

"Yes, you see, when new vampires arrive on the Guard, they are always assigned a mentor to help them settle in, show them the ropes, ease them into their new life. After some thorough thought reading, Aro assigned Chelsea to Jane.

"Chelsea did use her gift in the beginning, to calm Jane and help her to trust her. Chelsea treated Jane like her own daughter. That relationship has never died," Eleazar smiles gently.

"Who was assigned to Alec?" I ask. There's a long moment of silence.

"I was," Eleazar says quietly. Those two words hold so much weight that I tense when he speaks. His shoulders are slumped.

"I needed Chelsea's help getting Alec to trust me. He was far worse than Jane. Her outbursts were torturous, but short lived. Chelsea could keep her in reign. But Alec didn't use his gift at first. He fought back physically, as he had done all his life. And with his new strength he was a force to be reckoned with.

"It took some time and a lot of trouble, but eventually I earned Alec's trust and affections. In fact he became rather dependant on me, looking on me like an older brother.

"Both twins settled in well, content and happy for the first time ever. I remember," he smiles, nostalgic. "During the first year, Chelsea and I used to sit with them in one of the smaller living rooms. I would sit one side of Chelsea on the sofa and Jane would curl into her other side. Alec would curl up at our feet, his head resting on Chelsea's knees while she brushed his hair. He liked that. It used to soothe him."

The way he's describing Alec totally messed up my impression of him. Eleazar's making him seem like a kitten.

"Then the time came when I decided to leave. I'll never forget the day I told him," Eleazar's eyes are years away, deep with their sadness. "He's never forgiven me. He felt that I was abandoning him. I know it hurt a lot, and re-opened a lot of old wounds. In all these years, leaving him is probably one of my biggest regrets.

"Demetri was meant to be assigned as Alec's new mentor after I left, but Chelsea wouldn't allow it."

"Damn straight. Demetri would just mess the poor kid up!" I protest. Eleazar manages to crack a smile.

"Chelsea took them both under her wing. She, aside from me, was the only one Alec truly trusted. I meant a lot of work for her, but she never cared. Even now, Aro aside, she's the onlyone who can keep the twins in check."

"She must be like...a superhero," I murmur.

"Perhaps," Eleazar chortles.

Then he looks up and rises to his feet. I see what he does.

Felix, Demeti and Corin are coming in our direction.

OH. EM. JESUS.

I am so fucked it isn't even funny.

I scoot behind Eleazar as the three creatures who wanted to eat me close in on us.

"Eleazar!" Corin cries happily, throwing her arms around his neck. He laughs and returns the gesture, embracing the white-haired woman happily.

"Long time no see, Corin," he chuckles. As soon as he releases her he receives a hearty clap on the shoulder from Felix that almost knocks him sideways.

"How's life been treating you, Eleazar?" He asks.

"Wonderful," Eleazar responds, rubbing his shoulder. Felix laughs. The sounds of his humor almost shake the whole building.

When my eyes shift away from those two and land on Demetri, I see he's the only one not focused on Eleazar. He's glaring at me with so much fury it almost hurts.

Dear God, I would like Alec to come by at any time now, please, now.

Then I get a flash of a fun idea. I reeeeeeally wanna poke fun of this bitch.

_NO! He'll try to eat you again,_ my rational side yells at me.

_Pssh, no he won't. My bet is he's too scared of Alec kicking the ever holy shit out of him twice in one day._

"How's your arm, Demetri?" I ask, the picture nonchalance.

His eyes narrow to ruby slits, and his teeth flash between his perfect lips. "What?"

I widen my eyes, playing totally innocent. "Your arm. The one Alec tore off?"

It occured to me at that point that being able to rip off and re-attatch limbs is not at _all_ fucking normal. But whatever. Neither is drinking blood.

I have Corin and Felix's undivided attention. "What?" Felix laughs. "Alec ripped your arm off?"

"Are you fucking kidding? Alec kicked the shit outta him!"

Felix laughs again, louder than before.

"Why?" Corin splutters. Demetri's face is completely filled with rage. It's totally funny.

Keeping the innocent facade, I continue; "I walked in on Demetri and Heidi having sex and then Demetri tried to eat me," I sighed.

There's half a second of shocked silence, and then Corin and Felix start shreiking and howling with laughter. A wide grin spreads across my face like a gay little rainbow. Eleazar looks totally shell-shocked. Like 'oh Jesus what the fuck have I walked into...'. Demetri looks like he's about to explode. Which could be fun.

Corin and Felix have to literally cling to eachother to stop from falling over laughing. Eleazar has to whisk me behind him pretty fucking lively, because in the next second Demetri jumps at me.

"CHRIST!" I yelp, my heart bouncing. "Good God Demetri! How many times do you need to get your ass kicked before you learn that I am not a snack bar!"

"I was about to ask the same question," a cool voice responds.

Alec glided towards us. Demetri backs off, growling under his breath. Corin and Felix try to keep straight faces, but the giggles get the best of them and they're soon spluttering and snickering. Alec regards them with interest.

"Alec," Eleazar greets him. I think he sounds hopeful, which depresses me. As soon as he says Alec's name, I swear the air shifts fifty fucking degrees colder. Alec doesn't bother to respond, giving Eleazar the total brush-off.

"Come, Nyxie," Alec orders, using the infuriating nickname. He sweeps me up effortlessly and dashes back in the direction he came from, without giving me a chance to say goodbye to Eleazar.

"BYE ELEAZAR!" I yell at the top of my lungs. I hear more laughter from behind me.

Alec's grip on me tightens. "You have an aggrivatingly loud voice," he grumbles.

"And you have an aggrivating choice of nicknames," I grumble right back. He chuckles then.

"Perhaps, my Nyxie, you just have low tolerence for nicknames."

"Nope," I reply. "I think I just have a low tolerence for assholes."

"Too bad," he taunts.

I huff, folding my arms. It's a bit of a chore seeing as my body is crushed against Alec's. The zip of his jacket is pressed against my cheek, the cold metal similar to his cool skin. This reminds me of something important.

"Oh!" I realise happily. "Aro says you have to take me shopping."

The halls are filled with Alec's loud groan of horror.

He runs faster and I squeeze my eyes shut.

Alec decides that he wants to get the shopping expedition out of the way as soon as fucking possible, so he runs us back to his room, picks up a wallet, and then we're moving at blinding speed again.

He runs us down flights and flights of stairs and then sets me on my feet so suddenly I spiral to the floor. Alec laughs at me when I swear profusely at him from the cold concrete ground.

We're in a parking garage which I assume is below the castle. It's cold, very cold, and I hug my arms around myself. Then they fall to my sides limply as my jaw drops in amazement.

"Holy fucking hell," I blurt out, my eyes wide in wonder.

I'm standing in the middle of a parking lot filled with the most fucking _gorgeous_ cars I have ever seen in my entire life.

"What?" Alec's eyes question my mental capacity as he looks at me with furrowed brows.

"These...these cars," I gasp, in total heaven. "Fucking _orgasmic_!"

Alec grins; a real smile that reaches his eyes. "Whish is your favourite?"

He lets me take my time examining each and every one. There are Ferrari's, Porche's, Jaguars, huge jeeps, tiny beetles, each and every one seemingly custom made for an individual personality.

In the end, I was torn beteween a gorgeous steel-coloured Porche Spyder and A vintage Jag, complete with the original hood ornament of the siver jaguar, and a convertable top.

"The Jag," I decided finally. Alec's smile widened and he theatrically pressed his thumb against the keys he had in his palm. My chosen car beeped in respose, like a loyal dog. I looked at Alec in delight.

"It's yours?" No way. No fucking way. He had the looks. He had the hot dangerous qualities going on for him. No way could he possess the car of my wet dreams on top of all that!

He patted the hood lovingly. "My baby."

I pushed the annoyance away and stared beseechingly at Alec.

"Can I drive?"

Alec yanked the drivers door open and slid inside. "Absolutely not."

"Why?" I complained, clambering into the passanger side.

"Because, you are like a battering ram. Grace and delicacy are qualities you could not dream to possess. Also, this car is like you; fragile and, belonging to me. And I like to protect, what is mine."

I had no time to argue or protest before the engine purred and the car swung around. A wide, automatic door opened quickly as the car revved and we zoomed out into the dim evening light.

**I am fully aware that this chapter sucked out loud, which is why I have something special planned for the next one ;) , which I am beginning right this minute! Maybe I'll have it up tonight, but it'll probably be tomorrow.**

**BY ZEE WAY! Check out the poster for this fanfic, the link is at the top of the page. There are also collages for chapters one and two.**


	7. You Want Me

**SHOPPING TIIIIIIME! Because Phoenix may be an outspoken psycho, but she's still a girl. And Alec may be a deranged vampire, but he's still a boy, and will need some form of entertainment during this trip ;) Which he WILL get!**

**OH! And I've decided on the **_**OFFICIAL SONG FOR THIS FANFIC!**_ **It's Anything But Love by Apocalyptica. LISTEN TO IT! The lyrics fit. .com/watch?v=mtvU_i1iFuM**

_Tell me when I'm dead, is it sleeping on the words that you said?_

_You're better off dead, creeping on the words that I said,_

_Coz you want me, and you like me,_

_Dead_

Alec doesn't appreciate the fact that I label his driving as a "Psychotic Grandma."

"Excuse me, _what_?"

"You heard me," I reply stubbornly. "You drive real fast, but you're so paranoid about hurting your car that you go all swervy an' shit."

He takes his eyes off the road to give me a fucking _killer_ glare. I hold my hands up in defense.

"Jeez, don't shoot the messenger," I mutter, tucking my legs up so I can wrap my arms around them. I rest my cheek on my knees, staring out the window at the beautiful city.

I never got a proper look around Volterra before I was wrapped up within the web of the Volturi. The setting sun throws an orange-y hue around the buildings, giving them a glow. The dark-skinned people scattered around the streets stare and point at the sleek black car. I see them turn to one another frantically and there are murmurs among the bystanders. I'm free to stare at them because, thanks to the dark-tinted windows, they can't see me. But in the dim light, it's hard to read their expressions.

"You'd swear the people had never seen a car before," I mumble to myself, wondering why they're staring so. Several of them are walking away so fast it's almost funny.

I don't realise that Alec is taking notice of me till he whips my legs from under me, causing me to catapult forward. He catches me before I whack my face against the dash.

"Feet _off_ the seats," he orders.

"Yes _Grandma_."

He doesn't respond. A few moments later something occurs to me.

"Hey douchebag, look at the fucking time. It's gone seven. No shops will be open," I tell him. He turns away from the road to look at me again.

"They'll be open for me," he states with complete confidence. Somehow, I don't doubt him.

He's right, too. When he swerves in the direction of the kerb and parallel-parks flawlessly, several shops who's lights have just switched off flick right back on again. Alec's smirk is triumphant.

"Told you so."

He slips quickly out of the car, inserting some coloured contacts (red eyes aren't normal even here, I'm guessing) and I hop out after him. His eyes are the strangest brown colour, and they narrow at me. I realise I'd been staring. With one hand on the small of my back and one clamping around my wrist, he guides me in the direction of a boutique.

A shop assistant opens the door for him. It's a woman, with honey-blonde hair scraped back into a bun so tight I can see a vein throbbing on her temple. I wonder if Alec is hungry.

"Welcome, Sir," she greets Alec in a classic overly-perky the-customer-is-god voice. Alec seems convinced that I'm not about to turn around and go sprinting down the street, so he releases my wrist. I rub it mournfully. Fucking steel hands of his. The woman she regards me next to him. Her expression decends several levels of pleasent. "And who might you be?" She asks in the same voice you'd use when talking to a retarded three-year-old. Do I look like a retarded three-year-old? I'm pretty sure I don't.

"This is Phoenix," Alec replies. She jumps a little when he speaks. I wonder if she knows we can see the blood pooling in her cheeks. Jeez, I _hope_ Alec is hungry. This bitch is annoying.

"She is in need of some new clothes," Alec continues, in the same tone she used with me. Somehow he makes it seem more biting.

"So I see," she says, her voice dangerously close to a sneer. My fists clench, aching to throw a punch. My eyes narrow in rage when she extends one manicured hand to ajust the collar of my (Alec's) shirt. Alec becomes rigid beside me. I manage to glance up at him long enough to see his teeth gleaming between his lips. Apparantly he doesn't like other people touching his things. Or maybe he just doesn't like that it's _his_ shirt she's insulting.

She seems to pick up on his hostility. She backs up a few steps, paleing just a little. She recovers, shaking her head, and sweeps her arm around to indicate the rest of the shop. "Will I let you browse?"

Alec doesn't dignify her with a response. He simply nudges me further inside, letting the door swing shut behind him and ring the little bell.

The woman and two other employees have a hushed conversation behind the counter while I shift through several pairs of jeans, hunting for the right size. I can't hear what they're saying and to be honest I'm pretty glad, because I know for a fact they're talking about _us_. I don't think my temper would stand up to snarky comments about Alec's new human tote-along. Alec himself boredly flicks through a rail of shirts, but I can tell he's listening. His teeth clench a couple of times.

"Having murderous thoughts?" I ask, holding up a pair of jeans as I root for the label, then sigh and throw them back in disgust. Alec moves over to where I'm standing to search through the pile too.

"Perhaps."

"What are they talking about?" I ask, knowing I'll regret being so nosy. But I can't fucking _help_ it. It's in my nature!

"You and I, naturally," Alec drawls, pushing a pair into my hands – the right size, of course. I sigh. Why does he have to be good at everything? Even stupid shit like finding clothes. It's wrong!

"Yes I know _that_," I grumble. "But what are they _saying_?"

"They wonder why I have you with me," he sighs.

"I could have guessed that," I roll my eyes. "Tell me something interesting."

"You're so demanding," he grumbles. I move on to another rail, this one has a few tshirts. Pink, light green, lilac. Not at all my style. I squat down to look at some shoes. Clunky six-inch heels that I would like if they wern't yellow. I spot a pain of knee-high boots with a slim heel and tuck them under my arm, deciding to abuse Alec's shiny credit card. It's fucking begging for me. I know it is.

"Well, how about this?" He hisses, ducking down beside me. "They think I took you in off the street feeling sorry for you. Apparantly you look like an urchin."

My eyes pop out of my head. The _fuck_?

"WHA-"

Alec smacks my jaw shut and pinches my lips between his fingers. It feels as if someone's squeezing my lips together with clamps that someone had been retarded enough to leave in the freezer.

"Now now, Nyxie," he taunts, wagging his finger at me. "No outbursts around the humans."

When he lets go I can feel my lips flush red as the blood flows free. I know he can sense it; his eyes are locked on them.

"An urchin?" I snap. "For real? And what are you then? Junior Pimp in training?"

His eyes snap back up to mine, and a wicked grin appears on his face. "On to theory number two; they think you're a prostitute I picked up and am showing a good time, before you show _me_ a good time."

I can't help but snicker at that one. "In your dreams, darling."

"More like yours, I'm sure."

"Cocky," I snort.

"Are we done here?" He demands, bounceing up and dragging me up with him. I staggered sideways and he had to catch me _yet a-fucking-gain_. He rolled his faux eyes.

"Yeah I'm done. I don't like these people," I decided, throwing a sneer in the direction of the till.

Alec seemed relieved as he hauled me in the direction of the women. The other two scattered like mice if a cat dropped in on them. The blonde one stood her ground, swiping my goodies and then Alec's shiny card before bundling them up.

Alec murmurs something in Italian, then whisks me out.

As soon as the door shuts behind us, the lights in the shop go out.

"They're glad to be rid of me," he chuckles. I note how he says 'me' and not 'us.'

"Don't they care about getting rid of the prostitute?" I smirk gleefully.

Alec shakes his head at me, still smiling. "They aren't afraid of _you_, little Nyxie."

I see Alec eyeing up a pet store, and the first thing that flashes into my mind is _fucking leashes_! He was serious about giving me a collar, how do I know he wasn't serious about the leash too? The collar, I can deal with. It can be passed off as a necklace if it has to be. But a fucking leash is unmistakable, and completely degrading. No way in fucking _hell_ am I letting myself get tugged around Volterra on a leash.

"C'mon," I plead, trying to keep the hysteria out of my voice as I tug on his arm. "I wanna go do some more shopping."

"I saw..." He begins, but then shakes his head and turns back to me. "Never mind. Let's go. I think I know a place that would suit you better."

I sigh in relief that the leash idea has been forgotten – at least for the moment.

The second shop is much more hospitable, and much more my style. Darker, edgier clothes. Belts, ripped jeans, tops, skirts, boots. There are some designer brands like Living Dead Souls or Converse, but mostly it's grungy off-the-rack clothes.

Alec himself even shifts through some of the boy's rails and comes up trumps with a few items. But when I see him grab a pair of black skinnys I just have to intervene.

"You'll look gay in these," I say, snatching them away and throwing them back. Alec looks outraged.

"_Excuse me_?" He hisses under his breath.

"What? You will! I'm helping your dignity here, which I think makes me a pretty great person. I mean c'mon. I could let you wander around looking like some little gay emo who's sexually confused, but I'm not. Because at least there's _some_ dignity in getting paraded around by some badass bitch, but not by some scrawny little gay kid."

Alec is so angry he's seething, but he doesn't go for the jeans again. Which pleases me. I must have struck a nerve.

There are only two attendants with us this time. One is a young woman with scarlet hair cropped short. It makes her tanned face seem elfin. She had a nose stud and an eyebrow ring and when she stretches to reach a pair of biker boots for me I spot a diamond glittering in her navel.

"Here you go," she smiles, but I can tell she's secretly eyefucking Alec.

"Thanks," I grin, smirking when she flutters around me to ask Alec if he needs any help. I'm sure he isn't oblivious to the double meaning.

I'd like to 'help' him alright. I'd like to help him to the edge of a cliff and then help him over the edge. But sadly there aren't any cliffs nearby. Life's funny that way.

Alec seems distracted by the soft-speaking woman. She seems pretty captivated by him. I can't help but selfishly hope that maybe he'll decide I'm not worth the hassle, and zap her away to live in his castle as well. She's very pretty.

I sigh, realising that Alec loves tormenting me too much to want a trade-up. I let my eyes rove around the shop until they land on salesperson numer two.

The second attendant is a man in his twenties. He's a little skinny, but who am I to talk? He has dark hair and skin and utterly fucking _divine _brown eyes. For a moment he reminds me of Aurelio and I feel a pang of sadness – but that sadness dissolves quickly enough when he approaches me.

"Hello," he smiles, flashing pearly teeth. Up close he doesn't seem as skinny. He's taller than me, a little taller than Alec, too. He's wearing a close-fitting black tshirt and dark blue jeans. Underneath he has classic black Converse. "Need any help?"

_Yes please..._

"Uh, sure," I reply, smiling. When he returns the gesture I see he has dimples.

This guy is totally _fuckhot_! I feel suddenly self-conscious, knowing I must look ridiculous. I'm swamped in Alec's shirt and I don't have any makeup on. The guy doesn't seem to notice though. He's willing to assist me either way.

"Here, I know something you'd like," he winks, dissappearing behind a rail. He resurfaces a few moments later with a leather jacket.

It fits perfectly, and it feels so supple and soft. It's real leather, to my delight. I hate the plastic-y shit some people wear and try to pass off as real. Uh, dude, if it feels like a raincoat, _it ain't real_!

"Suits you," he comments when I slip it off and hug it to my chest.

He helps me pick out a few more shirts and a nice pair of stale grey converse with purple laces. Some black and red checked jeans and a few pairs of shorts.

He bags them up for me at the till. He clears his throat somewhat awkwardly. "Are you doing anything tomorrow night?" He asks, pink rising in his dark cheeks. It's absolutely freaking adorable.

Suddenly something cold and solid slams me against the counter. My wrist is clamped again. There's a femenine gasp from behind me.

"Yes, she is," Alec spits, his voice laced with so much venom that I cringe in his grasp. "And it would be beneficial for your safety, if you kept your eyes and hands off what doesn't belong to you."

He pays quickly and drags me and my bags out of the shop.

"You're an asshole, you know that?" I yell when he releases me in the street. He throws me a bitter smile.

"I am fully aware of what I am. And you would do well to remember," he says, his voice centuries deep.

It's dark now, and in the dim light of the street lamps, he looks like a fallen angel, dark and dangerous and totally seductive. I shiver.

In a half-second, he has the bags wrenched from my grip and has disappeared. My jaw drops and I whirl around, searching for him.

"I'm getting fucking tired of your disappearing acts!" I yell, my voice fluctuating a few octaves. The cobblestone streets seem a whole lot less inviting when I'm alone.

I hug my arms around myself. When did the Italian air get so fucking cold?

All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of my neck rise and my instincts perk. Y'know that paranoid feeling when you _know_ you're being watched? I can feel it. I can feel eyes on me.

"Alec?" I call, breathing anxiously. My voice is more nervous than I would like. Keeping it strong and sure, I yell his name again. "Alec!"

Suddenly, hands grip me firmly from behind and I let out a yelp. Alec laughs loudly, his hands still on my waist.

"Scared you," he says triumphantly, spinning me around to face him.

"No you didn't. You _surprised_ me. There's a difference," I reply huffily.

"Whatever you say," he drawls, walking towards another row of shops. I follow him, not liking the idea of being left by myself again. My paranoia hasn't lifted. I still feel like there's someone else watching...

I shake my head fiercely, irked at myself for being a pussy, and I run after Alec to catch up with him.

"You're so slow," Alec complains. I ignore his jibe.

"Where did you go?" I demand.

"I took the bags back to the car. I trust that you didn't get yourself into any ridiculous situations in my absense," he sneers at me. "I wouldn't put it past you."

Mr. Obnoxious has made a return, it appears!

"Dick," I growl. To my disappointment, my anger is much less effective than his.

"Come on, I want to go to the bookshop. I don't have the whole night you know," he orders briskly, grabbing my wrist to pull me along.

The bookshop owner is a timid old man, rounded with silvering hair and a cheerful face that fills with nerves the second Alec strides in.

"Mister Alec! Padro get in books you ordered! Came last night!" He babbles fearfully.

Alec nods. The short man bumbles away to get the books. I glare at Alec.

"Bullying sales clerks wasn't enough for you? You gotta go around picking on little old guys like that?" I demand, disgusted. "Even I'm not that mean."

He barely hears me. He seems to be thinking hard about something. "Do you read?"

"Who doesn't?" I scoff. I love reading. When I was little my Nana used to pull me onto her lap and read me stories about a rabbit made of velvet and a rocking horse that could talk. For years afterwards I craved similar companions, imagining them talking to me. For Christmas when I was four, Nana went out and bought me a floppy rabbit made of real velvet, with button eyes and an anxious-looking sewn mouth. I adored him. Even now, I regretted leaving him behind.

"Go and browse then," Alec orders, dismissing me with a pretentious wave of his hand. "Pick out a few books to take home. I can't keep you entertained twenty four-seven."

"You mean I don't get to spend every hour of every day glued to your side?" I gasp, faking hurt. "What a fucking shame!"

"Just go," Alec sighs, giving me a small shove.

I do.

Padro returns with an armful of books and places them gracelessly on the counter. Alec gives them a once over, then reaches into his pocket and takes out a small roll of notes.

"Much thanks, Mister Alec! Much thanks!"

It doesn't take me long to hunt down the books I want. A few new titles, a new edition to a series I'm reading, and some old favourites. Alec raises his brow when he sees the book on top of my pile.

"Jane Eyre?"

"What?" I retaliate. "It's one of my favourites!"

Alec picks up the fat paperback and turns it over. "You don't seem like Bronte kind of girl," he comments.

"What, I can't have layers?" I snap, frustrated. I swear, he thinks I'm like a doll. One that can walk and talk but has no brain whatsoever.

He eyes me strangely and passes Padro some more notes. Padro bundles all our books into one big bag. I notice how mournful his eyes are whenever he steals a glance at me.

"È lei l-la tua?" Padro stammers, staring beseechingly at Alec with dark eyes.

Alec touches my arm, then turns his eyes back to the quivering man. "Lei è mia, anzi."

Fuck, I'm gonna need to learn to speak Italian. Even a few words would be helpful. I have absolutely no clue what they're saying.

Padro's bottomless eyes fill with aching sadness, and he does something so freaking weird I'm amazed that Alec doesn't whack him over the head with a very hard hardback.

Padro skirts round the counter and cups my face in his warm hands. My eyes widen in shock.

"You are pretty girl, very" he says slowly, attempting to speak english for my benefit. As I stare into his sorrowful eyes I feel my own eyes prick.

"Th-thank you," I whisper.

Alec pulls on my hand, trying to take me away. I blink, dropping my eyes. Padro releases my face.

"Let's go," Alec says, his voice free of the harshness he had before.

When we're out on the street again, he moves his hand to the small of my back to move me next door.

"Padro is an old man," Alec says quietly.

"No shit, sherlock," I reply wearily.

"You're going to have to stop talking back to me," Alec sighed, sounding agitated again. "I'm growing tired of it, and my Masters won't stand for it. You are a human, beneath me. You are my posession. You should respect me."

"How can I respect someone I can't stand?" I spit, jerking away from him, his touch. I don't want his hands on me.

He reaches out for me again, grabbing my forearm roughly. With one yank, he tugs me towards his body. I crash into his side, cringing. His skin feels even colder after my contact with Padro.

His eyes are narrowed. The contacts are almost dissolved, so their natural bright red is all but shining through. I swallow deeply.

"Try," he says, his voice severe.

"Okay," I say shakily. "I'll try to respect you, if you try to remove that stick from your ass."

He sighed at me again. "Let's go get some music, then we'll head home."

"Don't I get fed?" I complained.

"You can eat at home."

"Spoilsport." I'm really craving some good ol' fast food right now...like a burger, or some fries out of the back of some random dude's van. What? I have weird tastes.

Alec let me walk into the music store under my own steam.

"I have music to buy, myself," he said, drifting away. I took the oppertunity to pick out some CDs; Evanescence, Breaking Benjamin, Skillet, P!nk, Paramore, and a couple of singles.

The woman behind the counter kept her head down the whole time, running our purchases under the scanner as quickly as possible, obviously dying to get away from us. Well, away from Alec.

"Come on then, let's head back to the car," Alec sighed. I was ready to head back too. I was pretty hungry.

"Wait," I paused, spotting a shop I liked. It was like the Italian version of Hot Topic. "Let's go in there!"

Alec groaned. "No. We're done shopping."

"_Please_!" I beg. "I'll be good for the rest of the night, I promise! No more sarcastic comments out of me, Scouts Honor."

Alec eyes me skeptically. "Don't you think you've done enough damage to my credit card for one night?" He sighs.

"Not _nearly_ enough!"

"_Women_," Alec grumbles under his breath. "Fine. But the instant we leave that shop I don't want to hear another _word_ from you for the rest of the night, understand, Nyxie?"

I draw an x over my heart with my index finger, and Alec takes me at my word. He lets me drag him inside.

Two women in their thirties start metally undressing him the second we step inside.

"Welcome," one purrs, almost dancing as she makes her way over to us.

Jesus! He's young enough to be her son. Well. If she was a very horny minor.

Alec cringes visibly as she touches his arm. I decide to leave him alone with his admirer. Smirking, I shuffle through a rack of clothes.

I take my sweet time, and the whole time Alec is sending me the most vicious death glares I've ever seen. The second woman has sauntered her way over to him and is flirting shamelessly. Alec looks agonised.

I snicker in delight. Oh yes, this is what I'm fucking _talking_ about! I took payback under my wing and made her my bitch.

"I'm going to try this on!" I announce, as soon as the women realise Alec is watching me and not them. No need for them to feel discouraged! I tuck a slim black dress under my arm and all but skip in the direction of the changing rooms.

I unbuckle the belt from around my waist and drop it to the floor. I tug the shirt over my head and drop that, too. I kick off my Docs and wriggle out of the grey jeans. There's not enough room in the tiny cubicle to stretch, so it's a pain trying to ease the dress on. But once I have it on, it looks good.

The soft black fabric clings to my skin, the darkness of it making it look even paler than usual. It's tight, but breathable. It emphasises the roundness of my breasts. It cuts to mid-thigh, but splits down the front and swoops behind into a train that reaches my calves. It's _gorgeous_.

I decide that Alec deserves a huge credit card bill and decide to buy it. I slide out of it as agilely as I can manage in a three-by-four cubicle, and fold it lovingly.

All of a second there's a bang. The next thing I know Alec is locking the cubicle from the inside.

"Oh!" I gasp in complete shock. But before I can say anything else he yanks my body against his and claps his hand over my mouth.

"Shh!" He hisses. I can feel my heart pounding. "Maybe they'll go away."

" 'Wha de fhunk?" I moan against his hand. What the fuck is he playing at! He almost gave me a freaking heart attack!

"Shh," he says again, sounding agonised. "God, why the fuck won't they leave me alone?"

I realise he's talking about the two cougars. Straining my ears hard, I hear them giggling. I chuckle.

He clutches me tighter to his side, silently telling me to shut the fuck up.

Then I realise something kiiiinda fucking important.

Alec busted in when I was in the middle of changing. I'm wearing nothing but my bra and panties.

_Oh._

I'm too shocked to do anything but freeze. I'm totally solid, my face flushing in humiliation.

_Well...this fucking sucks right here._

Alec and I are trapped together in this tiny little cubicle that wasn't built for more than one person. Our bodies are crushed against one another, and I'm virtually naked. For the first time, I realise that Alec's nose is resting against my ear. His cool, sweet breaths breeze across my face, until he freezes too.

My heart beats ridiculously fast, and my eyes squeeze shut.

Divine intervention? Welcome any time now! Seriously! I'm ready to just fucking die.

I've literally never been so embarrassed. I'm shaking. I can feel sweat breaking out across my palms. Alec doesn't let me go, but his hand slips from my face. He's stopped breathing. I can feel the bareest brush of his rose-petal lips against the corner of my jaw.

_Well, isn't this just the biggest shitpit I've ever dug myself into?_ _I mean c'mon! Only I could-_

_Holy..._

My thoughts scramble themselves into melted gunk as I feel something press into the hollow of my hip.

_No way..._

I hear Alec swallow deeply, wincing.

"A-Alec?" I manage to whisper, the one word catching in my dry throat.

He breaks away from me so quickly that I slammed against the mirror. I go to cover myself immediately, shielding my chest with my arms.

"Get dressed," Alec orders, but his harsh tone is tainted with the new husky edge in his voice. "We're leaving. _Now_."

I don't argue.

He's out the door before I could blink, but not before I saw the bulge in the crotch of his jeans.

We walk in silence back to the car. It isn't hard keeping to my word – no talking. I'm far too humiliated to say anything.

Alec walks so quickly that I almost have to jog to keep up with him. The lights in the shops behind us die out one by one when they realise that Alec is finished with them.

I give a tiny grumble of annoyance when a single raindrop splashes against my cheek. Alec gives an exaggerated sigh.

Raindrops come faster and heavier. I reach in the book bag for one of Alec's hardbacks to hold over my head. He snatches the bag and the book from me and carries them himself. He'd rather _I_ get wet than his precious book.

_Dickhead_, I think, but I don't say it. To be honest, I'm afraid to. How do I know he won't go psycho on me?

"Hurry up, let's get home before we get soaked," Alec says when the rain gets even heavier.

"Rain in Italy," I grumble. "Who'd a thunk it?"

Suddenly, Alec freezes. My temper frays at the edges.

"Oh for fuck sakes, come _on_! I don't want to get wet any more than you do!" I yell over the sound of the rain.

"Going home?" A velvet voice purrs.

Alec sees them before I do.

"Yes, we are," he replies. The undercurrent of defensiveness in his voice freaks me out. I clutch my bags tighter, squinting into the rain.

Alec whirls around just as I spot two red-eyed creatures strolling towards us. Men. Bigger and stronger than Alec.

One of them, with hard-muscled bare arms and soft blonde hair focus's on me.

"Well well," he says, amusement evident in his tone. "What do we have here?"

"I'm Phoenix, who the fuck are you?" I spit, sounding braver than I feel.

The first man laughs, and his companion, a tall, dark-haired man joins in. To my horror, three more voices chime in.

I whip around, only to see three more creatures have come up behind us. Two more men, and a tall blonde woman.

Fuck. My. Life.

Every muscle in my body clenches, and I'm faced with a Fight or Flight scenario.

Despite all my letters to Santa for a jetpack, I can't fly. And having seen the speed of Alec and the others, I'm pretty sure I can't outrun them. All that's left to do is fight.

Which, call me pessimistic, I'm _pretty_ sure I can't do either.

I've won more than my fair share of fist fights, but these things are not pathetic human teenagers that have rubbed me up in the wrong way. They're immortal, indestructable beings that eat people.

Yup, I'm fucked.

"She's feisty," one of them chortles. "I'll have her."

"The fuck you will," Alec snarls. "She belongs to me, and so does this city. So unless you all want to die, I suggest you leave. _Now_!"

"Yours, is it?" The first male says. "Interesting. I was under the impression that it belonged to Aro."

There's a pause, and the five draw in closer. Alec touches my hip, pulling me closer to him. And fuck if I'm gonna complain.

"In fact, we're here with a message for him," the blonde continues. "From Vladmir and Stefan."

Alec physically stiffens, and a feral snarl rips through his throat. Obviously the names mean something to him. To me, they just sound like nerds in some Halloween Comic-Con.

"And what would that message be?" Alec hisses.

A sadistic smile curves upon blondie's perfect face. For a second, I feel a chill at the back of my neck.

_I knew we were being followed._

The blonde takes two more steps forward, and breathes in deeply.

"Your ashes."

It all happens damn fast after that. Alec throws me to the ground, and I splash right into a deep puddle.

My head spins, and my breathing shudders.

I'm vaguely aware of the high-pitched sound of screeching. Like metal scraping off stone.

"_Phoenix_!" Alec roars. The sound makes my ears ring. "_Phoenix run_!"

Instinct takes over. My brain doesn't seem to be working. I feel like I'm possessed as I scramble up, drop the bags, and run.

My feet pound against the wet road as I sprint, feeling the soles slap painfully against the cobblestone. My throat burns with hasty, ragged breaths and my lungs ache to the point where I want to stop. The stitch in my stomach almost makes me keel over, but I force myself to keep going.

Turns out, it's pointless.

One second I'm running, the next, I'm in orbit. Something hard slammed into me from the side and sent me soaring.

I slam into the side of a building, and then I sink to the wet ground, choking out breaths, clutching my throat.

Unthinkingly, I fumble in my pocket for my inhaler, but before I can even get it out something smacks my hand away.

A freezing, wet hand clasps my throat and lifts me up, off the ground. My back is still touching the wall, and the gravel of it scratches the back of my head. But that's nothing compared to a sharp cut on my forehead. Hot blood trickles down between my eyes.

The blonde man is breathing hard as he holds me, glaring into my face with intensity that threatens to burn me.

"Those fools back there thought they'd live," he hisses. "Didn't they realise that going after Alec is as good as suicide?"

I can't reply, I'm choking. I aim a kick at him but when my toes brush weakly against his stone flesh, he just laughs.

"Ah, sweet girl," he chuckles. "You make me wonder so...why would someone like Alec Volturi want to protect someone as small and weak as you?"

_I'm wondering the same thing_.

"Ah well," he sighs. "He's going to kill them, I know. But I intend to survive. Why do you think I left them to it? Vladmir is a fool. He thought if we caught Alec on his own we could hurt him, but I always knew better. However," he muses, reaching out to tuck a dripping strand of hair behind my ear. "Physically, we might not be able to hurt him much, but I wonder how he'd feel if I killed his little human toy?"

I draw in as much breath as I can. "Are- you- gonna- kill me, or are- you- just gonna- talk- all night?"

He laughs heartily. "Such a shame. If you didn't smell so good, you and I might have been friends."

"I have- enough- friends, thanks."

"Very well," he purrs.

All I see is the gleam of his teeth, and then he rips away from me. I drop into the street, gasping hard. The last thing I see before I black out is my copy of Jane Eyre in the road, dirty and wet, ripped and ruined.

**WHOAAAAAAAAAAA! Two vampire attacks in one day. How the fuck is she gonna survive a week? WILL she survive the week? And, more importantly, ALEC WENT UP ON HER! WHOAAAAAAAAAA! But rest assured, that was far from intentional, and both of them are gonna deny it till the cows come home. But that doesn't mean Alec will get off lightly ;)**


	8. Lights Out

**Hey people I was SO psyched by the immediate response to the last chapter and the positive response to the whole story overall that I decided to begin writing right away. Fuck school and the French test that I didn't know was actually gonna be written in French (so I probably failed...) I AM FOCUSING ON FANFICTION. Coz I'm sad like that ^_^**

**And I would like to say a freaking fat-ass THANK YOU to sweettee11 for her fucking EPIC polyvore set based on this fanfic. This chapter is dedicated to her! Btw, CHECK IT OUT! : /cgi/set?id=39144828**

_After the lights go out on you,_

_After your worthless life is through,_

_I will remember how you scream,_

_I can't afford to care, I can't afford to care..._

When my eyelids flutter open again, I'm in Alec's car. Whenever he swerves a corner too quickly, my body slumps sideways and I hit the door. The third time it happens, I let a small whine slip through my lips. "Fuck," I moan, rubbing my eyes. My head is throbbing, and my throat is raw. To sum it up, I feel like complete and utter shit on a stick.

"Oh, you're not dead," a familliar voice chimes.

"Sadly," I sigh, trying to sit up properly. "Nice to see you're so broken up about my possible demise, by the way."

"Do you remember what happened?" Alec asks me, tutting when I wince. "Stay still. We'll be home soon."

"Don't want to stay still. Feels like I've been staying still for a couple hundred years," I grumble. It's true. All my limbs are aching as if I've been sleeping in the same position for hours.

"Suit yourself," Alec mutters. "Well, at least you wern't unconscious long. Fifteen minutes at the most."

I can't work out the reason why I can still feel rain, why I can feel wind whipping my face, until I try to look out the window into the blackness.

"Alec, what in fuck's name posessed you to have all the windows in the car open? Were you hoping I'd fall out or some shit?"

Alec chuckles darkly. "Well, in the two days you've been here you have managed to endanger your own life quite a few times, but I doubt even you could manage to fall out a car window while unconscious and wearing a seatbelt." He pauses. "It helps this way, I can't smell your blood as well with the wind blowing the scent away."

" How nice of you. And you obviously don't know me that well if you think I couldn't manage falling out these damn windows," I yawn, my eyes drooping shut. I jump when Alec snaps his fingers in front of my face.

"Don't fall asleep again, you little fool! You might have a concussion."

I give an agonised groan, knowing he's right but not wanting to admit it. "But I'm fucking _tired_."

"Think I give a fuck how tired you are? Keep your fucking eyes open or I'll staple your eyelids to your forehead."

"You are so nice, being concerned about my wellbeing."

"I know."

It isn't long at all before we're pulling into the underground parking lot again. It feels like days have passed since we've been here but in reality it's only been a few hours. Every light is on, and it's so unbearably bright that I have to sheild my eyes. "Shit," I complain. The light fucking hurts. My eyes feel as if they're about to pop right out of my sockets. When the car jolts to a stop, my door is open before I can even take another breath.

"What happened, Alec?" Someone familliar asks. I recognise Renata's voice.

"Romanians," Alec hisses, no longer beside me. "No, I'll take her. You get the bags."

"Oh, the bags," I realise. Well, at least the shopping wasn't a waste of time.

I feel solid arms slip smoothly under my knees and my back, lifting me up. Alec holds me to his chest, carrying me carefully.

"Were there many?" Another female voice asks. Jane.

"Five," Alec recalls. "Four went for me, but the leader went after her. Felix, get the door will you?"

Felix too? How many are here? I realise that my eyes slipped shut without permission. I try to open them again, but the lights hurt too much.

"Alec, get her ahead if you still want her alive," Someone else vaguely familliar rasps. "I'm thirsty."

"Yes, her blood is remarkably appealing," Jane muses. "If I hadn't just eaten, you and I would have quite a problem, brother."

Oh Christ. It's not just psychotic Romanians I have to worry about eating me, it's everyone in this fucking castle. Well, almost everyone.

"Phoenix? Is she alright?" Benjamin's anxious voice reaches my ears. I want to open my eyes and reassure him, but they feel so heavy.

"Get out of my way, human," Alec snaps. "Santiago, hold your breath if you think you can't restrain yourself. I'd hate to have to deal with a third attack in one day."

"I'm fine," Santiago says. He doesn't sound certain.

God, I fucking hate lying back not able to do shit. Having them all fawn around me. Being what they think I am – a weak, incapable little girl.

"Put me down," I mumble to Alec. "I want to walk."

Alec scoffs at me. "Nyxie, you can't even open your eyes. How do you expect to walk?"

"I can do it," I insist.

"Nyxie, be a good girl and shut up so I can get you upstairs without almost getting you killed," Alec sighs, sounding frustrated.

"Bitch," I grumble. There are a couple of muffled chuckles. Alec sighs at me but says nothing.

"What happened?" A new voice cries.

"It's okay Eleazar," Jane calls. "I advise you to stand back. She's bleeding."

"I can see that," Eleazar notes.

"Here, come with me," Jane says. "We'll get Chelsea."

There's a slight breeze as they run.

"Get the door, San," Alec grunts, ajusting me in his arms. Santiago does as he's told, and I hear him give a small gasp as he moves closer to me.

"Santiago!" Alec snaps. The force of his voice hurts my ears.

"Sorry, sorry," Santiago mumbles, sounding distracted.

"C'mon man," Felix says, and I can part my eyes long enough to see him drag Santiago away.

"Open the door, please, Renata," Alec sighs. There's a bit of shuffling as she drops some bags and then a click as she opens the door. I giggle, remembering the last contact she had with Alec's door.

"He fixed the lock," I mumble.

They don't take any notice of me. The next thing I know, Alec is placing me sitting up on the sofa.

"Fuck this, I want to go to bed," I complain, attempting to stand up. My legs wobble a little, but other than that I'm okay. But it's Alec who gently pushes me back down.

"Just wait," he says. "You can go to bed in a while."

"Fuck you," I sigh. Stupid pushy fucker.

Alec and Renata mumble to eachother while I force my eyes to stay open. A few moments later, there's a brief knock and then a glorious woman breezes in.

She has long thick hair, auburn, with streaks of red that gleam even in the dim light of the bedroom. Her almond-shaped eyes glow red, encaged in a pale, heart shaped face. Her lips are full and red, and they purse in distaste when she gets an eyeful of me. She's wearing a long flowing gown, black, with the same Volturi 'V' necklace that most of them possess.

"Is this Phoenix?" She asks. Her voice is very femenine, but strong. I wouldn't really want to fuck around with her. Even obnoxious, arrogant Alec looks at her with complete respect.

"Yes," he replies.

"I'll go to Aro," Renata says, and she leaves.

"Stand back Alec, and turn on the light. Let me get a good look at her," Chelsea says, kneeling in front of me. As soon as the light switches on, I wince. Though it doesn't hurt as much as before.

"Is that okay?" He asks.

"Sure," she replies. "Alec, you should go to Aro. I'm sure he'll want a firsthand account."

"But-"

"Sweetheart, it's fine. I'll take good care of your little pet. Now go on, you know Aro hates being kept waiting," she soothes, her voice like golden syrup. I'm shocked at her use of a petname towards Alec, and even more surprised when he doesn't protest. He slips away silently, leaving me with her.

Chelsea helps me sit up straight. "Look at me, honey, let me see your eyes," she says, her voice soft but very firm, leaving no room for arguement.

"You're Chelsea," I mumble, as the name finally clicks for me.

"Yes," she replies. "Look up."

I do. "Eleazar told me about you."

"Did he?" She says with disinterest. "Well, you don't have a concussion. Stay still now. Don't squirm. Let me see that cut."

She pushes my hair out of my face to examine my forehead. "That's a deep cut alright, but it's stopped bleeding. You won't need stitches."

"Good," I sigh. "How do you know?"

"I was a nurse, before I was changed," she says. "If there's ever casualty amonst us, I'm usually called. That was the reason Aro changed me, in the beginning. He didn't know I had a gift."

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask curiously. Why indeed? What was this, Volturi sharing hour? Why would she want to share her life story with Alec's newest fad?

"Alec intends to keep you for some time, and Aro even longer," she says. "And you've been here only a few days and have managed to get yourself attacked twice. I think you should know who to go to if you suddenly start spurting blood."

Getting a gore-oriented image in my head, I giggle. "Fair enough."

Then I remember something else. "Eleazar told me that you were like Alec and Jane's mom."

"I like to think so," she says slowly. "They probably feel otherwise, but I look on them as my own son and daughter."

"Is that why you're not eating me?" I ask, feeling a little drowsy.

She laughs, and the sound is beautiful. "Partially."

"Good," I sigh.

The door nudges open and Alec steps into his bedroom. Chelsea rises gracefully from her squatting position.

"She'll be absolutely fine," she smiles radiently. "Get her cleaned up and into something dry, then I think it's best if she sleeps."

"Okay," Alec smiles trustingly. It's odd to see such a genuine smile on his face. "Thanks, Chelsea."

"Wait," I call. Chelsea pauses. Alec looks at me quizzically. "Did you re-attach Demetri's arm?" I ask.

It's a genuinely curious question, but Chelsea laughs and Alec shakes his head at me.

"No, I did not. I'm afraid his pride would not allow it."

"Oh, okay," I sigh.

As soon as she sweeps from the room again, Alec is over to me. "Come on," he says, sweeping me back into his arms. In a flash, we're in the bathroom. Alec sets me on my feet in front of the mirror.

"I'll find you something to sleep in," he says. Then he's gone again.

I glance up into the mirror, and grimace in horror.

Christ on a bike, I look like I just crawled up out of my own grave! My hair is damp and crazy-looking. In fact, all of me is damp. The shirt clings wetly to my skin. But my face is the most shocking.

I'm deathly pale, my eyes wide and almost black. The deep red of the blood is a shocking contrast to the black and white. The cut on my forehead is wide, but short, only about an inch in length. But all down the left side of my face is red with drying blood. It's even managed to trickle down my neck. The right side has several tiny streams of blood patterned like tree roots.

I look like something from a fucking slasher movie.

Weirdly enough, the cut doesn't hurt that much. It stings a bit, but it's mostly numb. But I have a pretty high pain threshold anyway. I'm sure it'll sting like a little bitch tomorrow.

I dampen a cloth and wipe my face and throat, being careful of my forehead. When it's clean, I comb my hair through, tugging the tangles and grunting in annoyance when pieces of gravel fall to the tiled floor.

I give up and wander back into the bedroom. Alec is waiting there, sitting on the edge of his bed. Beside him is a small fabric pile.

"You look better," he comments.

"I look like shit," I sigh.

"I know, but I was trying to be nice about it."

I roll my eyes and touch the pile of clothes. Alec stands and walks purpously to the bathroom. He closes the door behind him.

Grateful for the privacy, I start to undress myself. Then, I recall something else.

Alec went up on me.

_Alec_, went up, on _me_.

In what ever holy fucked up world does that happen!

I shake my head slowly, and pick up a soft navy sweater. It's very loose and soft, with a circular collar and sleeves that fall below my fingertips. It feels incredibly comfor-

Holy fucking hell! Alec, _went up on me_!

No. It isn't possible. I have to have imagined it. Get a fucking grip, Nyx! God. Maybe I do have a concussion after all. There's no other way that could have made it's way into my hea-

I fucking _felt_ it! I _saw _it!

...Didn't I?

Nah, I didn't. I couldn't have. It was probably my crazy imagination again, like when I went to kindergarten and punched a girl in the nose because she sat in the little red plastic seat that my imaginary friend Maurice wanted. The teacher wouldn't listen when I told her it was all Maurice's fault.

The bitch of an imaginary friend wouldn't talk to me for a week after that.

Wait. How the fuck can I remember my imaginary friend and our escapades from kindergarten, and yet I can't remember whether or not something happened only an hour or so ago?

I lean my face into my hands, trying to clear my head. Remembering that I only have a little time before Alec makes a grand return, I strip off quickly and pull the sweater over my head. There are a pair of big grey sweats too, which I step into quickly, not wanting Alec to catch me practically starko twice in one night.

I swear, my soul is totally traumatised after today. I wanna crawl up in a hole and hibernate for a whole bunch of months. I mean what person can handle being kidnapped, marked, attacked twice and knocked unconscious all in the space of two days without a _teeny_ little bit of emotional scarring.

As I hear the bathroom door click open, I dive under the sheets, trying to ignore the dizzyness. At least I can sleep now.

"Is the light hurting your eyes?" Alec asks, his voice soft.

Soft? Huh?

I force my head off the pillow to narrow my eyes at him. "What the fuck do you care?"

"I don't. Now do me a favour and go the fuck to sleep before I make you."

I decide to be a freaking good girl and close my eyes, but not before saying: "I fucking hate you, you know?"

There's a small chuckle before the light disappears. "I know. I fucking hate you too."

Unsurprisingly, Alec is back to his infuriating self the next morning. I'm woken up with a flick to my temple.

Now, a flick from a normal person is pretty sore and also damn annoying, but a flick from Alec is both painful and _extremely_ irritating.

"Ungh, fuck off will you," I yawn, rubbing the side of my head.

"No, I will not. Get up _now_. I'm not having you lying in bed all day," he growls.

"God," I groan, rubbing my eyes. "What crawled up your ass and died?"

He bares his teeth in a sarcastic grin and replies; "The slim remainder of your looks."

When I drag myself to the bathroom to get myself ready to face another fun-filled day with my Owner, I see he wasn't fucking around.

My throat is peppered with bruises. They're light enough, but they can only get darker. There are more bruises across my collarbone, but to my relief they can be easily covered. My eyes have dramatic dark cirles underneath, and the cut on my forehead is the fucking pits. It looks like a makeup effect gone wrong from some crappy horror movie that gets laughs instead of screams. Also, I thought I had gotten all the blood off my face last night, but my hairline is crusted with a thin line of dried blood.

Also did I mention I fucking hurt? Yeah, I do. The cut stings like a mad bastard whenever my brow furrows. My neck feels stiff and twinges painfully whenever I turn my head.

Jeez. What the hell else is gonna happen to me? I'm only on my third day here!

Deciding that I need a shower, I shove as much bathroom junk against the door as possible to keep away unwanted company.

Unsurprisingly, Alec pounds on the door. "What the fuck are you doing in there?"

"Go the fuck away! I'm trying to have a shower!" I yell back.

"It's my bathroom and I'll enter if I wish!" Alec snaps, but he does go away. I wonder if it's because of what happened yesterday.

Okay! Fuck yesterday. Yesterday was just a bad day. A bit worse than your average bad day, mind you, but I figure that if I survived yesterday, I can survive pretty much anything. So! Clean slate, and all that shit. New day, fresh start. And what's fresher than a shower?

And I gotta say, the shower is pretty fucking fantastic. It's got four huge nozzles aiming at the centre. There's a white, waterproof, faux-leather _seat_ in it. Fucking hell! The inside walls of the shower are all slate stone and pretty gorgeous, and there are some shelves dug out of it for holding shit like shampoo and shower gel and all that junk.

I grab some girl products out of the basket and rip my sleepclothes off eagerly, trying to brush off the aches. Hot water soothes tense muscles, right?

I push a button that seems like the 'on' button, but fuck all happens.

Hmm.

Frowning, I twist a knob (no. Down, you kinky bitches) in hope that maybe _that_'ll switch it on. Again, nada luck.

You know how you think you're pretty clever? Y'know, decent grades, not-too-shabby exam results etc? Yeah, you think you're pretty smart. Maybe not ingenius like all those eggheads that spend any and all free time _inhaling_ their schoolbooks and have no lives to speak of, but still nowhere near moron-ism.

Yeah, pretty clever...till you have to try and work someone else's shower.

And for the love of God, one with this many buttons and complicated dohickeys really ought to have a manual of some sort.

So yeah, standing naked in a shower that could well be a time machine – _maybe_ not the best scenario. Though a whole lot better than being smushed up close and personal against some jackass with a raging hard-on in a locked changing room with little to no clothes on-

RIGHT.

That's in the past. Fuck all I can do about it now, so I may as well forget it.

Erased. Done.

Time to get back to the present.

Scowling now, tweaking my cut and making the bite on my lip sting too, I start randomly flicking switches and twisting knobs and so on and so forth until an ocean's worth of water is dumped over my head.

And it's ice fucking cold.

Biting back a yelp of shock, I scoop my dripping hair out of my face. If Alec heard me yelling and swearing at the shower he might feel the need to come and investigate. And I don't need that.

I _defenitely_ don't need that.

So I soldier on, shivering as I wash myself vigorously, avoiding the sore and sensitive spots as much as possible. I finish up as soon as humanely possible and step out, willing myself not to slip. Wrapping one of the fluffy towels around myself, I dry off.

I decide that I can leave Alec with the conundrum of trying to turn off his shower.

Hoping and praying that Alec isn't in the room, I wrap the towel even tighter and peep out.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Alec has _left_ the bedroom!

Running across the carpet, raining droplets on the carpet as I go, I rummage through yesterday's bags in search of something to wear. However, thanks to last night's _events_, nearly everything is damp.

_Better than nothing_, I shrug, reaching for a pair of black and red pinstripe shorts and a tshirt that says _Save a Drum, Bang a Drummer!_ Then I seize a Hollywood Undead Hoodie and pull that on too.

I dart back into the bathroom and wipe the mirror free of condensation so I can squint at my face. I look healthier, yeah, but still pretty disasterous. Rummaging in the basket for the new makeup, I smooth foundation over my face and neck, trying to disguise the bruises. Next I outline my eyes with soft grey eyeliner and sweep charcoal grey over my lids. Finally, I draw a thin sweeping line over my eyelashes with liquid eyeliner.

Well, I sure look better than before. The pale, weak little bitch is gone, replaced by someone who looks like she can take care of herself. I damn hope she lives up to my expectations.

Alec returns when I'm lacing up my new Converse.

"Well, you clean up well, at least," he says, sounding surprised. A grumble sets up home in my throat as the insult sinks in.

"You left the shower running," he grumbles, vanishing as he tends to do. The sounds of rushing water stop.

"Enjoy your cold shower, Nyxie?" Alec smirks, returning with a wicked sexy gleam in his eyes.

I don't reply, knowing where his mind has gone. But my teeth clench.

"Didn't know you needed one," he says, his tone nonchalant.

"Oh shut up, you egotistical freak. Seems like you need one more than I do," I spit.

We both freeze.

Congratulations Nyx, _just_ when we thought you'd learned to keep your mouth shut, you surprise us yet again by welcoming your foot to it's new home in your mouth.

"I-I..." I choke helplessly, feeling my cheeks heat up. Alec looks a bit stunned. The toothmark on my lip burns as I press my lips together, wanting to trap all sarcastic comments forever.

"Let's go," Alec says quickly, his tone and expression annoyingly even. "Aro wants to see you after breakfast."

He doesn't carry me or drag me along. He's avoiding touching me altogether. Most of me is relieved, but one little nagging, whiny part of me insists on informing me of his Godlike sexyness, and the fact that his cool skin felt beautifully smooth and soft even when he was grabbing me.

When we reach the stairs to the kitchen, I have half a mind to throw myself down them, _just_ to add to the utter crapness of the morning. I walk in front of Alec, not wanting to look at him. However, it's almost as bad feeling his eyes burn into me from behind.

"Ah, the human," Jane sneers in an oh-I'm-so-much-better-than-you-in-every-possible-way voice. My palm aches to slap the smugness right off her face. "Manage to find your way to the kitchen without finding any life-endangering trouble?"

Taking a deep breath, I force a totally fake smile. "Only till I met you, sweetheart."

Jane bares her perfect teeth at me and takes a step forward.

Foot. Mouth. Stupidity.

"Jane," Alec says sternly, breezing down the steps to stand behind me. Jane tears her angry eyes away from me to focus on her big brother.

"When you get sick of her attitude, I want to eat her," Jane says bluntly.

"Come, sister," Alec chuckles, extending his hand to her. "Our own breakfast is almost here."

Then they're gone. Just like that.

"How's the patient?"

I turn away from the door to see Benjamin sitting at the table in the same seat as yesterday, tucking in to a bowl of Lucky Charms.

Oh gosh, Lucky Charms. My long-lost true loves. There had damn better be some left.

"Hungry," I reply, grinning.

He grins back, seeing that I'm as well as I can be. "There's a box and a half in the cupboard right there. Help yourself."

"I will," I say, feeling a hell lot chirpier in a room with food and civilised company.

Benjamin quizzes me on what happened while I pour myself two bowls that I fill to the brim with milk. I grab the biggest spoon I see in the drawer and tuck in eagerly.

"Five against two? That's hardly fair," Benjamin says, looking amused.

I shrug. "I wouldn't know whether it was or not. I ran like hell."

"Probably the smartest thing to do," Benjamin chuckles.

"I do regret one thing though," I pout, shovelling Lucky Charms into my mouth like there's no tomorrow.

"What's that?"

I swallow back my mouthful and smile a beaming grin. "That Alec wasn't ripped up into nice little pieces."

Benjamin laughs whole-heartedly, then clamps his hand over his mouth. "You shouldn't say that," he says.

"How come?"

"They do punish us, you know," he says, his tone sober now.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not."

I push my first bowl away, then seize my second one, dunking my oversized spoon in with a vengeance.

It's only five minutes later when that bowl is thoroughly clean too. Benjamin snorts at me when I reach for the packet.

"What? I'm fucking starving!" I defend myself.

"And here I thought you were just after the free toy," Benjamin smirks.

"There's a toy?" I gasp, peering into the dark packet with fascination. Benjamin shakes his head at me.

"After what happened last night, I think Alec's day'll be full of paperwork and boring stuff like that," Benjamin says. "So, what do you want to do?"

I pause, ending my search for the toy surprise. "How about a proper tour?" I ask.

We leave the kitchen without permission (but not before I hide Gianna's sandwich inside the half-empty Lucky Charms box for later) and Benjamin takes me on my demanded tour.

I'm surprised at the fact that, even though he's been here months, he actually knows his way around. This place is like a maze with monsters hiding at dead ends waiting to grab you.

We can't go very far without getting into trouble for wandering around without our owners. But Benjamin gives me a detailed indication of where everything is; "The Library takes up most of the third floor, so it's impossible to miss. There are a couple of living rooms, but the main Lounge is on the second floor. That's where all the games systems are, and the giant TV-"

"Giant TV? Games systems?" I repeat, mesmirised. I grab Benjamin's arm. "Take me there, _please_! Video games are like, my best talent."

Benjamin smiles wanly. "I would," he says. "But I can guarantee whoever's off duty is lurking there."

"But after what happened last night, wouldn't most of them be on duty for safe keeping?" I frown.

"You'd think so," Benjamin sighs. "But intrusions into Volterra are really very rare. Not really a code-red situation."

Shuffling in disappointment, I sigh. "I gotta ask," I say, sounding desperate. "How big is the TV?"

Benjamin grins crookedly at me. "Takes up a whole wall."

"_Oh_," I whine mournfully.

"Ah ah ah!" Someone's voice chimes. Felix approaches with Santiago, moving so quickly and gracefully that I stumble back a step in shock. Benjamin's eyes drop to the floor.

"Something tells me, that the little humans aren't meant to be out and about," Felix chides, sounding more playful than irked. Santiago even wags his finger at us.

"We were looking for our Owners, Sir," Benjamin lies, his eyes trained fiercely on the carpet beneath us.

"In the Library, last I saw," Santiago says, his red eyes dancing. "We should take you there. Shouldn't have fragile little humans scampering around the castle unsupervised." His eyes land on me. "Especially a little Missy with a knack for getting herself in trouble."

I realise something pretty vital. "Then maybe I shouldn'e be escorted by someone who tried to eat me," I glare at Felix. "And someone who was gonna eat me last night." My intense gaze shifts to Santiago.

They both straighten up. Benjamin's grabs my hand and digs his nails into my palm, silently telling me _you fucked up_.

One day, _one day_, I will learn to keep my fat mouth shut. No day _soon_, but one day.

"I'll take them," Eleazar says, appearing out of nowhere. He grabs us both by the shoulders and marches us away before I can tick off the vicious killers any more.

"Alec won't like that you touched his property," Santiago calls, sounding a bit lost. I bristle, not liking being called Alec's _property_. Eleazar squeezes my shoulder, telling me to shut up.

"He'll live," Eleazar mutters.

When we're a decent bit away, he looks down on me with sorrowful eyes. "You aren't doing yourself any favours, you know," he sighs.

My gaze hardens. "I didn't ask to be here," I say sharply. "And I'm not here to make friends. Either way, I die."

Eleazar glances at Benjamin and they share a look.

"Phoenix," Eleazar says slowly. "Believe it or not, there are other options other than death. I would stop focusing on the negatives, and try and work your way towards those other outcomes."

"He's right," Benjamin says quietly.

I huff, folding my arms under my chest. "Are you taking me back to Alec, or what?"

"Not quite yet," Eleazar smiles – it doesn't reach his eyes. "Aro wants a word with you."

I have to bite my tongue real fucking hard to stop it from getting me in trouble yet again.

**Tres dull. I tried keeping this chapter more upbeat as the last one I felt was too tension-heavy.**


	9. Sweet Sacrifice

**Am one review away from FIFTY reviews! :D Am seriously happy! **

**Am also seriously PISSED, because someone is seriously trying to rip off my story and if it goes on then I'm gonna report it coz one of my serious pet peeves is copying. GET YOUR OWN FUCKING IDEAS.**

**MORE POLYVORES! COZ I'M ANNOYING LIKE THAT! **

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_You poor, sweet, innocent thing,_

_Dry your eyes, and testify,_

_You know, you, live to break me,_

_Don't you honey? I'm your sacrifice..._

No amount of whining, ducking under Eleazar's arms and running like a fucking mad person gets me out of my visit to Aro. Eleazar just ignores me, grabs me, and runs after me.

Benjamin in sent to Jane, and I'm surprised that Eleazar trusts him to go without an escort. But I suppose having been here as long as he has, Benjamin knows the reprocussions of disobeying orders.

I, however, have not.

"C'mon lemme go!" I howl furiously, thrashing in Eleazar's grip, which is every bit as strong as Alec's, or even Demetri's. "I'll be good, I _swear_. No running away. Give me one more chance!"

"You said that four chances ago," Eleazar chuckles.

I slump in Eleazar's grip, feeling defeated.

"Fucking hate you," I mutter under my breath. Eleazar grins.

"Well, you'll be glad to know that my wife and I are returning home, come daybreak tomorrow," he announces.

I lie back in his arms, a little surprised. Leaving so soon? This shouldn't sound like such bad news. But Eleazar is, by far, the nicest one of them I've come across so far. He feels me stiffen in his grasp.

"Everything okay?" He asks. I nod, feeling a lump rise in my throat. So, he's going to fuck off back to wherever the hell he came from, knowing that I'm a prisoner here, and not doing shit about it?

I decide that I _want_ him to go. Why would I want such a dick to stick around? There's plenty of them here as it is.

He sets me carefully on my feet outside Aro's door, which looms taller and wider and somehow far darker than before, and with one hand on my shoulder (probably to ensure I don't sprint away and dive head-first out a window), pushes the door open and guides me inside.

"Greetings, Eleazar. Thank you, my old friend. I must say, you've provided an excellent service since you've been here. Almost like the old days," Aro sighs wistfully, his eyes full of nostalgia. "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay longer?"

Eleazar smiles politely. "I'm afraid not, Aro. Carmen and I really must be heading home. Our newest member is still getting to grips with our diet, and I'm due to take him hunting."

Aro smiles, but I can tell he's irked. He turns to me, eyes practically fucking glowing.

"Dear Phoenix," he greets me, standing and swishing round his desk to take my hand again. I cringe a little as his icy hands capture mine.

"Aro," I reply.

"How do you fare after your encounter with the Romanians?" He asks me, amusement in his eyes as he absorbs my thoughts.

"I, uh, fare pretty good," I reply.

"You're lucky Alec was there to protect you," Aro says, his tone sober.

"Yeah," I say, trying hard – _real_ hard, honest – to keep any and all sarcasm out of my voice. I fail. "I'm real lucky."

Aro chuckles darkly, and all the little hairs on my arms raise and do a Mexican wave.

"Yes, well, it could be worse. He's been extremely lenient towards you so far. Were I you, I'd count my blessings."

Um, _creepy_!

He gives my hand a gentle pat before releasing it. My arm slithers pathetically to my side.

"You may go now, dear. I just wanted to see your side of the event," Aro says, dismissing me.

Eleazar, once again, places a firm hand on my shoulder and helps me out of Aro's office.

"What were you so afraid of?" Eleazar chuckles, walking me down the hall.

I roll my eyes at him. "Jeez, I don't know. Creepy psycho killers tend to give me the heebie-jeebies sometimes," I bitch.

Am I lame enough to use the phrase heebie-jeebies? Yup. Do I give a fuck? Nope.

Eleazar laughs. "Despite your completely justified hatred of me, I think I'll come and see you before I leave tomorrow, if you don't mind."

And despite myself, I can't find it in me to argue.

****3 weeks later****

"PHOENIX!" Alec roars, sounding like a bitch in heat. Whoops.

Santiago beside me snickers. "You're really in for it this time, little Nyx."

"That's what you said the last four times," I shrug. But I can't help swallowing nervously as Alec thunders over to me. Santiago steps a couple of steps back.

"Told you so," Benjamin murmurs softly, grinning when I give him a one-fingered salute.

Gianna's standing there too, looking all huffy and annoyed coz she happened to get a little smokey, and snapped one of her Jimmy Choo heels sprinting up the stairs. I don't know why she keeps giving me the evils. Did I take control of her mind and force her to run like a spastic up the stairs? No I did not. I, for one, was smart enough to walk calmly. Someone could get hurt running up those things. I can barely walk down.

Oh shit, Alec is fucking _raging_. But he's in a pissy mood anyway. I suppose I might be to blame for that. He didn't really appreciate me doodling all over his best guitar in liquid eyeliner. (Aro confiscated my beloved Sharpie – the bitch.) I tried to pass it off as doing something nice for him, I mean, the guitar was pretty dull-looking. But I guess it didn't help that I dropped the bottle and let it rattle around inside the damn guitar, glooping eyeliner all up in there. But still, he could have been a bit more _understanding_. He's the one who slammed the door started yelling, making me jump.

I scoot back until I bump into the wall. Then I cringe, waiting for Alec's wrath.

A stone fist slams into the wall, dangerously close to my face. Several chunks of stone crumble away and drop, causing me to have to hop pretty nimbly to avoid a broken foot. Though in the temperment he's in, I may be needing to avoid a broken _face_. Alec is right up all close and personal, leaving only a couple of inches between our bodies.

"What did I _fucking _tell you?" He yells, right in my face.

I flinch, ignoring my wobbly knees. "Lotsa things," I shrug, using my sweetest, most charming smile. It fails me this time.

He gives this killer hiss, leaning in even closer. "Fine. _How many times_ do I have to fucking repeat myself?"

I shrug again, trying to slow my pounding heart and ignore Gianna's smug expression. "I guess 'till I learn my lesson."

"Fire's out," Afton says, jogging back up the stairs with a fire extiguisher in hand. He tosses it aside, shaking his head over me.

"You'll learn alright," Alec growls, totally livid. "When the _fuck_ will you get it through that thick human skull of yours that you are a complete and undeniable _disaster_ in the kitchen? I forbade you from cooking! I forbade you from even turning on the goddamn stove, for Christ sakes!"

"It wasn't the stove, it was the oven," I argue. "And hey, hold on a second. I haven't done anything reckless and life endangering in two weeks. How the fuck do you even know it was me? You're blaming me without any plausible proof! This is shameful, Alec. Totally shameful. Let you be shamed."

Alec punches the wall again, growling loudly. Well _excuuuuuuuse _me. I forgot it was a crime to have a sense of humor in this place. Jeez. Fucking demons.

"Because I know you, Nyxie. I know what a shit-headed retard you are. Would it kill you to use your fucking _brain_ for once? Would it kill you to be _obedient_?"

"Maybe I'd be obedient if you were nicer to me," I say, but more timidly now. It'd probably be best for my health not to anger him further.

"Maybe I'd be nicer to you if you were obedient," he sneers, a cold smirk on his face. "See how the world works?"

I open my mouth to reply, but a smoke-induced cough seizes my throat and makes my eyes water. Alec sighs over me for the hundred thousanth time, and pulls me away from the wall.

"What did she even try to make?" Alec asks, sniffing the air like a good little puppy. On steroids. And crack. "I smell chocolate."

Gianna sighs, nursing her broken shoe like an injured child. "Brownies," she says in disgust. "The stupid girl wanted brownies and refused to wait until she could buy some." She gives another gosh-kids-are-so-stupid sigh, shaking her head. Dumbshit. I'll bet she's just jealous. I'll tell you one thing, that bitch will never see thirty again. "I told her not to, but-"

She breaks off when I interrupt her with a yelping laugh. "No you didn't!" I say, amazed at her ignorance. "Your exact words were 'Fine, go ahead. Maybe this time I'll get lucky and he'll kill you for it'."

Alec's brows rise. Colour floods Gianna's cheeks and she glares at me in rage.

"Nyxie, quiet," Alec says, but his voice has lost some of it's harshness. He takes a few steps closer to the flustered secretary. Her position shifts, and the way she's holding her shoe makes it look like she's about to use it as a weapon. I really hope she does. If I'm gonna die, I wanna die laughing.

"Listen to me," Alec says to her. His voice is quiet. So quiet it's eerie. Much more frightening than when he yells, in my opinion. She doesn't have to worry about blushing any more. She's turned so pale I'm starting to wonder if I should be a freaking awesome person and lend her my inhaler. She doesn't look like she's breathing. "Phoenix may be a stupid girl-"

"_Hey_!"

Alec ignores me. "But she is mine. And no other than I shall get away with calling her such. Let me tell you this, human. You are far more expendable than she is. If I hear tell of you being obnoxious towards her again, we shall need to employ another secretary."

Y'know what? Gianna's a big girl. She doesn't need my inhaler. 'Sides, I don't want that dire red lipstick all over it. Ever heard of colour co-ordination, honey? I don't get a chance to give her a big smug smile, or even flip her off, because Alec drags me away quicker than anyone can blink.

"For someone who supposedly hates me, you sure stick up for me a hell lot," I point out.

"You belong to me. I take care of my belongings."

"_Ugh_," I say, wrenching my wrist out of his hand. He lets me go. "When are you going to realise that I'm not yours? I've never been yours. I'll never _be_ yours."

Alec reaches out and pings the little lock on my collar. "Here's something that says otherwise."

I flounce away in disgust, my footsteps loud and stomping in the echoings halls. It's kinda freaky to me that Alec's footsteps make no sound at all.

"Listen," he sighs. "You were right about one thing."

"I was?"

"Yes. You havn't gotten yourself into any life-endangering situations in two weeks. Neither have you caused any major disruptions-"

"Except for today."

"Well, yes."

"And on Monday, what with stealing Demetri's mattress and riding it down the staircase."

"Yes," Alec says, his voice a tiny bitty bit sharper.

"And last Thursday, when I got that vase and-"

"_Stop,_ before I change my mind about this," he snaps, grabbing me and yanking me to face him.

"About what?" I ask, more curious than pissed. I'm getting used to being grabbed and hauled and bruised. I just expect it now. Which, when I think about it, is kinda soul-crushing.

He runs his free hand through his dark hair, which is pretty wild-looking lately. It makes my blood boil in anger at how sexy it looks. "Caius and Aro want me to start diciplining you."

He waits for this to sink in, and I blink. "Don't you already?"

"Not like I should. I wanted to give you time to ajust to life here, hoping that maybe, if I could control you somehow, dicipline might be unneccisary."

"Being locked in your room for hours, never being without a bruise or cut, having no privacy even in my own head, being yelled at for the slightest thing, being paraded around like a shiny new toy...nope, I see no punishment there at _all_," I say venomously. The cuts especially irk me. The one on my lip, Alec says, will be a permenant scar, as he intended. Alec smirks.

"My naive little Nyxie," he croons, capturing my face in his icy hands. "You have no idea what punishment in Volterra means."

I swallow deeply.

"But," he relents, allowing his hands to slip from my face. "Like you said, you've behaved – more or less – this past fortnight. So I'm giving you a chance." He looks me dead in the eyes, letting me know that he's serious. "I'm letting today's events slide. But from now on, be a good girl. No tricks. No escapades. No ridiculous sitcom-worthy situations. If you live up to these expectations, you will go unpunished."

"And if I don't?" I challange, unwilling to back down that easy.

He smiles, such a sweet smile that my stomach does cartwheels. Even when he speaks again, his voice is like sugar and honey.

"If you don't, then bruises and cuts will be the least of your worries."

Later that same day, the bell in the clock tower rings out, loud and persistant, like a siren.

Benjamin and I are with Jane and Alec in the living room. The twins are deep in conversation, but they're speaking in Italian, which doesn't bode well for my nosyness. Some others are there too. Renata and Corin, who are curled up gossiping on one end of the sofa, and Felix, who, after much whining and poking and a few growls (and some prompting glares from Jane and Alec, who want us kept busy for a little while), agreed to play Call of Duty with us. Well, with me. Benjamin sucks at it, so he barely counts.

I bounce up from my sitting position on the sofa, hopping up to stand on the back of it. "Yes! OH yes! Felix man, bow down before my extreme awesomeness," I declare triumphantly, sweeping my arm as I bow dramatically. "I totally fucking _crushed_ you both!"

"Fluke!" Felix shouts loudly, clearly annoyed.

"I hearby give up," Benjamin announces in defeat, tossing his controller aside. I ruffle his hair affectionally.

"Maybe one day you'll pick up on some of my skills," I say, aiming a great big grin at Felix. He bares his teeth at me.

"Rematch. Right now," he growls angrily.

I shrug. "If your ego can take it."

That's when we all hear it. A distant chiming sound. Everyone in the room stiffens.

"Son of a _bitch_!" Felix roars, leaping up.

In the blink of an eye, the room is cleared as everyone races away. Alec whirls around when he reaches the door.

"_Stay here_!" He orders.

Then he's gone.

I slide back down, my heart beating a little faster with adrenaline. "What was that all about?" I ask, tucking my knees under my chin. "What the fuck does the bell mean?"

Benjamin looks a little pale. "I-I don't know," he stammers. "I've never heard it before, not in all my time here."

"Why do you look so freaked?" I ask, panic rising. Benjamin is a pretty calm individual, which makes this all the more nerve-wrecking.

"Because _they_ were, didn't you see their faces? They all looked completely horrified."

I bite my lip, wincing when my teeth pinch the just-healed cut.

"Should we go to our rooms? Board up the windows? What?" I ask, my body jittery and excited, needing to do something other than _sit_ here.

Benjamin reclaims his cool, his shoulders relaxing. I try not to notice that the action is forced. "We should stay here, like Alec said," he says, his voice fairly even. "If something is really wrong, they'll come for us."

He nudges my controller back into my hands. "Come on, I want you to teach me this. I suck at it."

I force a grin. "Yeah, you do."

And so I settle back down and pretend to be paying attention to the huge screen (which is a fucking eyegasm in disguise), my thoughts echoing the deathly ringing of the clock tower bell.

"I killed you," Benjamin says after a hundred years.

"Huh?"

My eyes focus, and I see that he's right. My avatar is lying still and bloody on the screen, dead.

It's hours later before I find out what happened. Alec comes back, looking totally wired. Is eyes are wide and black, his clothes torn in several places. He has this eerie calm thing going on, which, I can tell right away, is pure shit.

"You've been fighting," I accuse while he runs us to the bedroom.

He doesn't reply.

The next thing I know, he's tossing me carelessly onto the bed like a piece of discarded clothing.

"Alec!" I yell as he disappears into his closet. He returns an instant later with a long black cloak, black trousers and boots.

"What?" He mutters irritably, unbuttoning his shirt in a flash. He strips it off and fucks it to the floor absently.

For a minute, I'm mesmirised by the sight of him. His perfectly sculpted, pale torso. His strong arms and effortlessly flexed biceps, his even shoulders, his toned hips, the dark, soft trail of hair that begins at his bellybutton and trails down below his-

_Ugh._

Having been sharing a room with him for almost a month, you'd think I'd have seen the sight of him like this a hundred times and be over it. But truth be told, this was one of two times.

He'd been weirdly private since that second day when he took me out shopping and ran in on me half-naked. I'd felt his very obvious erection against my 'lil nude hip, and ever since then, he'd been deadly careful. He made sure never to bust in on me in the bathroom, double-locked the door when he was in there (pssh, like I'd go through the hassle of picking the lock just to catch him naked...). He left the room when I changed my clothes, and ducked into his closet to do the same.

So seeing his indescribably amazing body without all his guarded crap was kind of stunning. I felt my cheeks flush as my heart raced and my body reacted like he'd flicked a switch on inside me.

Fucking teenage hormones. _Go the fuck back into hibernation already!_

"What's going on?" I say, cringing when I hear my own voice. It's all high an' shit. I sound like some girly little shit.

Alec glances up at me after yanking a black top over his head.

"Romanians," he spits. "More of them. Lots more, in fact. They were having a feast in our streets. Luckily one of the lower guards on duty saw them and sounded the alarm."

"The bell."

"Yes," he replies, buttoning up his cloak. "We didn't get there in time. The bell gave them notice to flee. We only got three."

"You're going after them," I deadpanned.

"Yes," he confims. "There was an...incident, a few years back. We had to abandon it, letting the offending coven live. Other clans have been getting cocky ever since. We can shut them down without hassle, but the Romanians..."

He shakes his head slowly from side to side, as if trying to clear it. "Well, we need them dead. All of them. After we take out the offenders, we're heading to Romania its'self. We need to get an indication of their numbers."

He pulls his Volturi necklace over his head.

"Who's going?" I ask.

"Myself and Jane, Demetri, Felix, Afton and Renata," Alec reels off the names as he whirls around the room. "Listen," he says, grabbing my shoulders. "I'm going to be gone for a couple of days, and I can't have you getting yourself into trouble, so I'm keeping you here."

He moves towards the door as this seeps into my brain.

"I'll have food arranged to come here on regular intervals," he calls over his shoulder. He slips out the door.

The lock clicks from the outside.

"Alec? Alec!"

I race towards the door. I grab the knob in my hands and rattle it around.

He's fucking locked me in.

"_Alec_!" I scream, projecting my voice as loudly as I can. "You can't leave me locked up here! ALEC!"

He doesn't come back.

He's left me.

For a moment I stand there, a bit shocked. Then, I'm just pissed.

"That...that..." I'm at a loss for insults. I think I must have used them all up during the duration of my stay. "THAT FUCKING ASSHAT!" I shriek, aiming a kick at the door. I'm wearing my Docs, and a big black streak appears on the polished wood.

_Good_.

There's no way I'm staying cooped up in here for days. I'll go stir fucking crazy.

I run to the bathroom and snatch up a hairpin, hoping to shimmy the lock. Unfortunately, Alec left the key in on the other side. The rat bastard.

I lean my back against the door, tears of rage burning my eyes. Why does Alec think he can do whatever the fuck he wants with me? I make a vow to trash his room sometime in the next day. Maybe I'll "forget" and leave the tap running and flood out the whole place. Or "accidentally" run amok with the dented crowbar Alec was stupid enough to fetch for me out of Demetri's room. Or maybe I'll take a lighter and whoops, all his clothes go on fire! Wouldn't that be an absolute fucking tragedy?

I glower ferociously around the room, when I spot something.

Alec left the window ajar.

_Alec. Left. The. Window. Ajar_.

Is that the hallejuia chorus I hear?

I have to use all my strength to shove the window up enough to slip out. Even then I can only nudge it up a foot or so. I'll have to mention to Alec that his window needs some serious oil. I'm sure he won't make the leap that I need it oiled so I can break out whenever I need to. 'Course not. He's not _that_ smart.

Actually, that's kinda an outright lie. He's a fucking mastermind. Even I have to admit that. I've seen him calculate some shit faster than I could add two and two. From what I've heard, he was even clever as a human. But some shit that no one will tell me about no matter how much I plead and whine went down, so he didn't exactly get an enriching education. Not that he cared shit 'bout that. The most he'd told me about his school life was that he'd hated it so much that by the time he was fourteen, he'd dropped out.

"Fuckers with canes and dumbshit students with thoughts that didn't extend beyond the yardsticks of their cocks," he had hissed.

Somehow, my highschool woes didn't really compare to _canes_, so I'd mumbled some shit about flunking algebra and then shut up.

_Fuck_. The skin scrapes off my hands painfully as I wrench the window up. I mutter hexes the whole time. I'm ever so tempted to let it slide back down and just demolish the glass with the crowbar. But I think that would prompt a punishment, and I'm not exactly sure I want to know what punishments Alec would think up. Sadistic cunt.

So on I work, until I have it up just enough for my body to slither through.

And as soon as I'm out, and the window slides shut, I want right the fuck back in.

I'm up about six stories high, on a foot-wide ledge. There are actually birds flying past me. And a hard cement path down below that I'm betting will hurt a fucklot when my face gives it a good-morning kiss.

Heights. Oh. My. God. I. Hate. Heights.

Right, well. Silver lining. Silver lining.

I'm out of Alec's room. Kinda. Well, I'm perched on his window ledge. That counts.

And I'm facing the garden, which is real pretty. I mean, there's lotsa grass, an' shit. Grass is good. It's all green like. There are a few garden ornaments that, if I survive, I want to take out with a baseball bat.

"Oh holy fuck," I whimper.

Every cloud may have a silver lining, but every silver lining has a cloud. See how I worked that? Right now my cloud is the fact that I'm about two hundred feet away from a very youtube-worthy death.

Time for a clever idea.

...

WAKE UP NYX'S BRAIN, PLEASE. NOW.

"Need some help?"

I crane my neck around to see Corin swinging her legs from another windowsill a storey up.

"Um. No. I'll get myself down."

"_Suuuure_ you will," Corin winks. Then she does some serious spider-man-ing down the wall to dangle beside me. She holds out her hand.

"Ah, no thanks," I say. "How do I know you won't drop me to my death?"

"Because you amuse me," she says, eyes gleaming. "I like the way you piss off Alec."

My brow furrows. "I thought you two were fuck-friends?"

Corin shrugs. "Sometimes. It's not allowed. But we have a serious love-hate thing. Mostly hate."

"That's twisted."

"That's life," she smiles impishly, waggling her fingers. "Coming?"

And because it's my brain that's gone into hibernation, and not my hormones, I reach out with one trembling hand and she clasps my fingers with hers.

I give a yelp of terror as she yanks me right off the windowsill and clasps me to her chest. Then we're flying.

Literally.

She leaps away from the wall, spiralling mid-air with my lil' ol' self still clutched to her chest.

In the next second, her feet touch the grass lightly, and she drops me. I stare up at her with my mouth open. She's fucking sparkling.

_She's._

_Fucking._

_SPARKLING._

This is so wrong. Any tiny shred of fear I have towards her is totally _gone_. What the fuck kind of vicious creature sparkles? Like a gay little fairy! This is totally the best day ever.

"You're welcome," she says cheerfully while I scramble to my feet, laughing. "And keep up the good work. Alec is seriously frustrated."

Is that a double meaning I sense?

"Frustrated how?" I ask, unable to force back a grin. She winks at me, and disappears.

I breathe in deeply, stretchning my arms wide. I'm out in the wide-open Italian air and it _feels sooooooo fucking good_! After being cooped up in that stuffy-shit castle for three weeks, it's nice to get some fresh air and sunshine.

After a few minutes of deep-inhilations, I wonder if Benjamin is locked up too?

Deciding that it's not fair for me to have all the freedom (and realising that I'm gonna be bored shitless without any company for the next couple of days) I decide to go free him.

It takes a while (and a compass – really) to find my way to Jane's room. But I do, in the end. I know it's Jane's because of the key sticking out of the lock on the outside.

"Benjamin?" I call, banging on the door.

"Nyx?" He answers, sounding puzzled. Needing no further incentive, I twitch the key and listen for the satisfying click. When I swing the door wide, Benjamin is sitting on Jane's bed.

"Nyx!" He gasps, looking shocked. "Didn't Alec lock you in?"

"Yup, I broke free," I brag, rocking on my heels. "Coming out?"

He hesitates. "I shouldn't."

"I did."

"I know, but Alec doesn't make you pay for your disobedience."

"He's gonna start, he said so himself."

For an instant, something flashes in Benjamin's eyes. Then he stands. "Okay, I'll go with you. We can always lock ourselves back in again before they come back."

"That's the spirit!" I cheer, grabbing Benjamin's hand and tugging him door-wards. "Now let's leave. Jane's room creeps me out. It reminds me of a bondage camp."

Benjamin snickers. "Please tell me you've never been to a bondage camp. You sound like you know about it."

With a sultry grin, I reply. "I've never been to bondage camp."

"God I hope you're telling the truth."

No one seems to care that we broke out. They mostly ignore us, as if we're not worthy of their attention. Santiago and Corin grin, and Chelsea furrows her brow at us, but we're left up to our own devices.

So my next three days are Benjamin-oriented. We even sleep in the same room. I force him into Alec's, because Jane's really does creep me out.

Benjamin grabs the doorframe when I try to shove him inside. "No. I can't. He expressly forbade me from entering his room."

I shrug. "And he expressly forbade me from leaving it, but whatcha gonna do? And besides man, he ain't even here. C'mon, grow a set!"

So he does.

I'm seriously glad that we're allowed out into the garden. It's _huge_. There's even a marble pool dug deep into the ground, but Benjamin won't let me convince him to go swimming with me.

"You'd probably drown," he smirks. I hit him upside the head.

"Will not," I insist, sticking my tongue out at him.

But I figure that without Alec here to dig me out of trouble, I had better steer clear of it. Instead Benjamin and I explore the gardens, ducking in and out of the huge trees and running around the hedge maze. I get so lost that I end up cheating, climbing up onto the top and trying very hard to wobble my way over the greenery to the outside world.

"Come for a walk with me," Benjamin says to me on the fourth day.

I agree, even though the sun is hidden behind several light grey clouds. So Benjamin and I stroll underneath the cloisters that run around the whole back side of the castle.

"You're quiet," I comment.

"I'm thinking," he replies.

"Can you think out loud? It's too fucking quiet out here."

He chuckles at me. "Do me a favour?" He asks. His eyes are unusually dark. I throw him a quizzical look. "Close your eyes," he says.

I do.

His hand comes to rest on my hip. Then, in the next moment, I feel his warm lips over mine.

I give a small gasp, trying to smother the shock. With my hands on his chest, I begin to kiss him back.

It's such a sweet, simple kiss that I totally melt into it. I allow him to wrap his arms around my waist and press his body against mine. His distinctly _male_ scent makes my stomach do silly things. I entangle my fingers in his hair.

We stay like that for a long time, until the clouds start spilling heavy rain, and we're interrupted by a gasp and a ferocious snarl.

Benjamin and I spring apart in shock. Alec and Jane are standing there, staring at us.

I can't begin to describe the look on Alec's face. A mixture of total shock and soul-burning rage. But there's something else. Something I can't identify.

Jane is another story. She looks more amused than anything else, but there's a spark of intuition in her ruby eyes. She casts a glance at her furious brother, and her eyes flicker back to me. She knows how mad he is.

_She knows what he'll do to me_.

Then, before my eyes, Alec changes. His shoulders relax, and his muscles unclench. His face becomes void of all emotion. He extends his arm to me.

"Phoenix," he says, with the eerie calm. "Come away. Now."

I darent disobey. So, trembling coward that I am, I walk slowly to his side. He grabds my wrist as he always does – but there's more force than usual. I can tell that he's concentrating, trying to hold back his own strength so he won't break my bones beneath his hand.

He drags me out into the rain, leaving Jane and Benjamin together. Once we're a decent distance away from them, he releases my wrist.

Alec doesn't speak the whole walk back. He doesn't attempt to carry me to quicken the journey. He doesn't touch me. He doesn't even breathe. His head is slightly bowed, enough to let his dark hair flop over his eyes, so whenever I dare to sneak a glance at him I can't take in any expression. All I see are his lips, pressed in a tight line.

He keeps a solid distance between us as we walk. I still have to jog to keep up with his brisk pace, but that isn't the reason my heart is pounding behind my ribcage.

After a hundred thousand lifetimes, we reach the bedroom door. Alec reaches to twist the knob, and a spasm of fear sprawls within my stomach. It's so overpowering that I have to clamp my arm over my gut to keep myself steady.

What will he do once he has me behind closed doors?

His fury is so obvious, hostility is rolling off him in intense waves. I don't think I've ever seen him so enraged. Angry, yes. Pissed, a hundred times. Dominating, yes. Cocky, demanding, rough. But for the first time ever, I feel genuine fear pulse through me, because of Alec.

I'm expendible. I know this. There's no way around my death. Well, not that there ever really was, but the fact that it might be coming any second now is enough to make me tremble.

Alec's hand rests on the knob. Is he trembling too? No, it's my imagination. It must be.

He pauses.

There are several tension-heavy seconds, moving so sluggishly that I want to scream out in frustration. He seems to be frozen.

Then, the world shifts.

There's crushing pressure against my ribs as Alec scoops me up. The next thing I know, we're in his bedroom. He slams the door shut and then throws me against it. Abrupt pain explodes through my body, but I don't even have time to cry out before Alec pins me against the door with his body.

I squeeze my eyes shut, cringing. A soft sob breaks through my lips.

Game over.

"Look at me!" Alec snarls, grabbing my jaw in his hand and wrenching my head around. I'm being a pussy, I know, but I can't help it. Hot tears drip down my cheeks. One of them runs down Alec's thumb, pressed roughly against the side of my face.

For a moment he stares at the droplet, transfixed. Then his hard eyes begin to blaze again, gleaming ruby, the brightest and baddest I've ever seen them.

"Is the concept of ownership something your moronic human brain refuses to understand, Phoenix?" Alec hisses. I writhe against him, silently begging him to let me go. "Are you fucking stupid?"

"No," I choke against his grip.

"I disagree," he growls. "You see, there must be something about it that you don't understand. Listen to me, and listen fucking well. I. OWN. You."

His grip on me tightens.

Those three words effect me in a way I didn't expect. The fear retreats to a tiny, dark, unexplored part of my body. Anger replaces it.

He might think I'm stupid, but I don't. In no way am I foolish enough to talk back to him. Instead I fix him with the iceiest glare I can manage. I look him dead in the eye. For a second he pauses, unnerved, then he recovers.

"You belong to me," he growls.

He pulls my head away from the door, and I gasp. Every exhilation from him is coming out in a growl. His eyes darken.

"You are mine," he snarls with finality, and I don't get a chance to take another breath before he crushes his lips against mine.

**Oh yes. OH YES. I am evil. I know :)**


	10. Snow White Queen

**BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I was evil enough to leave y'all with a cliffy, and now I'm putting in an M-rated chapter? LE WHAT? **

**BIG NOTE! = I'm leaving this as K-T for the minute, so people can find it, but BE WARNED! This is an M RATED CHAPTER.**

**M for kinkyness bordering on bondage, because Alec is a badass motherfucker ;)**

**Hmm...why did Alec kiss Phoenix? Was it because he wanted to prove himself? Or does he have feelings for her? Pssh, would I be that predictable? ;P**

**Also, if anyone wants Artists or links to the songs I put at the start of the chapters, just ask :) I really reccomend this one right here. In my own point of view it's pretty fucking incredible.**

**M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M **

_I can't escape the twisted way, you think of me,_

_I can't believe you'd ask these things of me,_

_You don't know me..._

_Now or never..._

Um.

Um.

...

My brain is kinda currently gloop-fried mush. Because I am in complete shock.

Uh...

Alec is still in the room, but it's dark. I'm in bed, pretending to sleep. But I know he can tell by how tense my body is, how ragged my inhilations are, that I'm faking.

If I was freaked when Alec went up on me, it's nothing compared to now.

My kiss with Benjamin was very soft and sweet.

My kiss with Alec, however, was the total opposite.

Rough. Demanding. Dominating.

_Raw...Passionate...Hungry_...

I squeeze my eyes shut tighter, trying to shake the feeling of his lips on mine. Of both of them.

You know those girls who have like three or four guys after them, and they do nothing but feel smug and brag about it?

Yeah, I _totally_ do not understand them.

I could not be more confused.

Benjamin, okay, fine, maybe in the long run I _could_ have seen something happen between us. But when he kissed me, that was a surprise. But the nice kind of surprise, like when your aunt from god-knows-where that you didn't know existed sends you a birthday card stuffed with money. The good kind of surprise, that you remember with a smile. It was spontainious and gentle.

But Alec...

Alec was spontainious too. But that kiss was drawn by need, not attraction. Need to prove to both of us that I was his.

Do I have feelings for Alec? Absolutely not. The only feelings I harbour towards him are ones of violence. He drives me up the fucking wall with his "Owner" thing.

But am I attracted to him? Sadly, that would be a yes. To be honest, it's hard not to be. He's like, perfect. Physically, at least. But I could say the same for everyone else here. There isn't anyone who isn't beautiful. Even Aro is disturbingly lovely.

Do I have feelings for Benjamin? I'm not sure. He's, without a doubt, my best friend here. Maybe my best friend ever. But I suppose I've never really thought about him that way. He's just been my bud.

Do I want one? Do I want both? Do I want _either_?

Eventually my body relaxes, my fizzing thoughts calm, my breathing evens, and I drift.

The next day, Alec wakes me as usual. Only this time, with a little extra spice. He yanks the covers back with a vengeance, then pulls me right out and onto the floor. I yelp when my body comes in contact with the floorboards.

"_Ow_," I hiss, pulling myself onto my hands and knees.

"Get up," Alec's words are short and sharp. I wince internally. His voice is completely cold.

I try, but my body is stiff from hours of lying still. I don't move fast enough.

He places one hand on my forehead, his cool, smooth skin stroking my skin, moving back. I'm frozen, my heart pounding. What the fuck is he playing at? Paniced, my body jerks. His nimble fingers slip gently between soft strands of my hair. Then, he grips.

He grabs my hair at the roots, elicting a sharp cry of pain from my lips. He yanks me backwards by my hair, until I'm on my knees. From my new position, I spot the clock on the dresser.

"_It's five thirty in the morning_!"

"Correct."

He releases his hold on me, but slips his hands under my armpits and hoists me to my feet. Stubbornly, I clamber back onto the bed. "I'm going back to sleep."

He grabs my arms and hauls me back up again, his fierce grip is painfully tight. "Oh no, you are not. I have to go patrolling. I'm not leaving you on your own. You're coming with me." He spins me in the direction of the bathroom.

Patrolling with Alec? At five thirty is the motherfucking morning? What the fuck could be better?

I can see arguing is pointless, though, so I make my way towards the bathroom. Yawning, I seize my toothbrush, switching on the light above the mirror. I suppose I'm not surprised to see that I have new bruises on my face. Two on my jaw – fingerprints, from where Alec grabbed me. But the worst one, the one that – completely fucking _typical_ – is the darkest and most pronounced, is one on and slightly below my bottom lip, from where Alec kissed me.

With an angry sigh, I wrench the tap and drown my brush in water. I squeeze the toothpaste out and scrub out my mouth, trying to get the feel of him out. When I'm done, I wash my face, avoiding my sore spots, careful as always. I apply my makeup, being careful to smother the bruises.

I have to leave the bathroom to grab some clothes, and when I do, Alec is dressed in his uniform. He ignores me, playing with the 'V' of his necklace.

"Has anyone ever told you that necklaces are for girls?" I say bitingly. He doesn't respond.

I pause. He always responds. He always has some sharp or witty comeback to try and make me feel like a moron. Now, he stays silent.

I press my lips together. Gathering up my clothes – heavy, loose black jeans with chains, and a dark grey tank top – I retreat into the bathroom to get ready. When I return yet again, Alec tosses something to me. My Ipod.

" You can take it with us. It's been charged. I took the liberty of going through your bag," he says.

My bag, the one I keep stashed under his bed, the one with the only _real_ personal belongings I posess, is lying open on his desk. In his hands, he holds my framed photograph of my Nana and I.

I feel my chest squeeze as he touches my dear-held memories with his vicious hands.

"How _dare_ you!" I scream, surprising him. I dart forward, and he doesn't put up a fight when I snatch the bag back and cradle it. My throat is dry, and I feel tears of infuriation pricking behind my eyes. "These are _mine_! These are all I have that are mine! Who the fuck are you to come in and take them and touch them!"

He's defenitely surprised by my outburst, but his firm expression is unrelenting. He still holds my picture in his hands.

It was a snapshot taken last summer. I was reading on the porch and my friend from next door came by to show me his new camera. He was kind of a photo nut. His Facebook was covered in hundred of photos that he took of everything and anything within his reach. Nana came out and he asked her if she wanted a photo taken. She said yes. So she sat down in her summer dress and pulled me down to sit beside her, cradled me to her side and took my hand. I lay my head on her shoulder, grinning because her soft silver curls tickled.

"Who is this?" Alec asks, pointing to her. I can't bear his hands on her. I snatch it back, rubbing the glass with my fingertips incase he smudged it.

"Oh fuck no," I reply. "You don't give without getting in this world, Alec. If I'm telling you about my past, then you're telling me about yours."

"I-"

"Own me. Yadda yadda, I fucking _get_ it already. I'm a posession to you, and you'll do fucking anything to prove it, won't you?"

His eyes narrow, becoming deadly slits of sharp red glass. He knows what I'm referring to. "Is that what you think?" He says sharply

"It is," I retort. "But get this once and for all. You have me _now_, in this present day. You might control my future, but you don't own my past. My past is _mine_, and I'll throw myself out that fucking window before I let you know about it."

He breezes towards me, snatches the bag from my grasp, and tosses it carelessly under the bed.

"There," he says curtly. "Now shut that fucking mouth of yours and come on."

I set my picture down and let him tow me away.

I have to laugh when I hear who we're gonna be patrolling with.

"Oh for fuck _sakes_! Are you seriously bringing your little human with us?" Demetri complains loudly.

"Oh my gosh, it's my buddy _Demetri_!" I yell as loudly as I can, a happy grin on my face. Oh how I adored pissing this fucker off. It's like my new favourite game. If I could hang around with one person for a whole day, it'd defenitely be Demetri.

Demetri hisses back at me, showing his teeth.

"Alec, can I go back and get my crowbar?"

"Alec we can't bring that with us, she'll compromise the work!"

"_Alec_!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Alec snaps. "You, I told you to keep your mouth shut," he says to me. Then he turns to Demetri. "I can't leave her by herself. Just ignore her. My bet is she'll fall back asleep eventually."

"I doubt that, man. I'm pretty wired right now," I say. They both brush off my comment.

Alec takes my Ipod and plugs my ears with my earphones. "Now, keep quiet and don't bother me while I'm working," he orders.

He flings me effortlessly over his back and carries me. He's going very fast to keep up with Demetri, so I have to clamp my legs around his hips to stop myself from falling off. I wrap my arms around his neck and peer around.

I press play on my Ipod so I don't have to hear the air whistling past as he runs. Within Temptation drowns out any sounds.

"_I fear, that soon you'll reveal, your dangerous mind,_

_It's in your eyes, what's on your mind,_

_I fear your smile and the promise inside,_

_It's in your eyes, what's on your mind,_

_I feel your prescence, I'm frozen inside..."_

Alec and Demetri sometimes walk together. But after one too many pokes, Demetri decides that it might be beneficial if one of them completed the sweep on the ground, and one on the roofs. He volunteers to stay on the ground. I think he hopes that Alec'll get sick of me and tip me off a roof.

To my surprise, Alec agrees. In one swift leap, he has us standing on someone's house. Giving a small moan of unease – _fuck I hate being up so high_ – I bury my face in the back of his neck. He stiffens.

"I miss Demetri, let's go back down to the ground and find him," I beg. "DEMETRI! COME SAVE ME!"

"Gods, be quiet!" Alec hisses. "Or do you want to wake every human in Volterra?"

"Yes," I say mournfully. "Then they can all suffer like I am."

Alec scoffs. "I said you could go back to sleep, didn't I?"

"I can't go to sleep, I'll _fall_!"

"If you fall, I'll catch you," Alec promises.

The fact that I don't doubt him worries me a little bit.

"Will we be back in time for breakfast?" I ask.

"Yes, but you'll be eating it in my room," Alec's tone takes on a bitter edge.

"What? I'm not allowed to see Benjamin any more?" I say, shock followed instantly by hurt and fury.

"No, you are not," Alec quips. "It's not a fucking human breeding programme we're running here."

"Hey Alec, there's a new invention. It's called the condom," I snap, feeling abrupt, intense hatred pulse through me. "Put me down, right now. I'm walking."

Alec snorts. "Oh yes? You're going to walk across a slanted roof? You, who couldn't walk across a floor without endangering yourself? Very clever of you, Nyxie."

Because my stomach rolls at the very thought of standing on the goddamned roof, My grip on Alec tightens.

We stay for almost half an hour in a tense, angry silence. I lay my head against him, feeling my eyes droop shut. But when he starts scaling the church walls and sets up home on the spire, they snap open, and I'm met with an incredible sight.

The sky in the distance is turning orange. Sunlight is breaking through the darkness, it's bright rays settling on the houses. From where we are, we're getting the most light. The city is so beauiful, it makes my chest ache. It reminds me of the picture I saw (and drew on). When the light touches off of us, Alec's white skin begins to shimmer.

For a moment, I gaze. It looks like diamonds. Then my inner-self wakes up and hits me in the face.

"You look gay," I probe him. Again, he doesn't respond. If I wasn't such a calm, reserved, cool-headed person, I might be annoyed.

I gaze at the sunrise, entranced by it's beauty. Weirdly enough, I find my thoughts drifting back to Benjamin.

I haven't obeyed any of Alec's orders so far, no fucking _way_ am I obeying this one. I can't stay away from Benjamin, he's the one thing in Volterra that keeps me sane. Whenever Alec wakes me, I get up so I can go downstairs and meet up with Benjamin so we can spend the day being ridiculous together.

I think I _do_ care about him. As a friend. As more than a friend.

Which is the most fucktarded thing _ever._ I mean, if we got together, I'd be sharing him with Jane, one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen. And besides, Alec would never allow it.

"What are you thinking of?" Alec asks suddenly, snapping me out of my inner war. Common sense, logic and straight thinking VS Nyx's brain, an epic battle and all-round fail fest. "You look like you're thinking hard."

"Nothing really," I sigh, lying through my teeth. "The sunrise. It's pretty, isn't it?"

Alec grunts in response. "You're such a girl."

"Jeez, what gave that away?" I roll my eyes.

Alec shifts, looking like he's preparing to spring. And from this height, that can only end with one thing: A Nyx-shaped splat on the cobblestones.

"I think my shift is over," he says, to himself rather than me. "We have to get in, anyway. The humans can't see me." Suddenly, he loosens my grip on him and spins me around so he can hold me in his arms. "I don't trust that you won't let go," he rolls his eyes.

And on that notion, he leaps from the top of the church.

I'm too shocked even to scream. We're dropping at a magnumonious speed. I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing for the jolt as we hit the ground. But it doesn't come.

As soon as the tips of Alec's toes graze the pavements, he's off running. He sprints through the streets so effortlessly I'm not even jostled in his arms. It's mere moments before we're back in the shadows, and the sun is gone.

The ironic significance of that is almost laughable. It would be, if it wasn't reality.

Demetri is waiting for us. Felix stands beside him. They both jump when we approach. Alec sets me on my feet.

"What?" He demands, seeing the distraught looks on their faces.

"Aro just received notice; the Cullens are coming with their Hybrid. They accepted Aro's invitation," Felix says. His voice is treading on a growl.

Alec, at first, looks stunned. Then he hisses. "When?"

"Any time within the next few days," Demetri replies.

This is, apparantly, a big deal. To be honest, I don't get it. Whenever I ask who the Cullens are, the only answer I get is "another coven." Which is big-time fucking frustrating.

The next few days are spent in preparation for this coven, preparing rooms and all that shit. Which seems a bit weird to me, seeing as none of the fuckers sleep. But whatever, they're just probably at a loss for what to do, or some shit.

Alec keeps me glued to his side the _entire_ time. If I'm out of his line of sight, he'll bark my name in the most fucking _irritating_ tone of voice ever. I always scowl at him, but he doesn't seem to give a flying fuck.

"Just stay close," he always says.

The only time I'm out of his prescence is when he's feeding. But then he locks me in his room (and locks the window too – not that I'd try _that_ stunt again!) and I'm not allowed out 'till he comes back, eyes gleaming red from dinner.

But one day, the day the Cullen coven are supposedly due to arrive, Alec lets me out.

"I need to speak with Jane. You're free to do as you wish for a few hours. Just don't do anything _unusually _stupid."

"I won't," I chorus sweetly, making my eyes shine convincingly. Alec's own eyes roll like red marbles, but he lets me go.

I wander down the hallway as if I'm simply going for a ramble around. I hook my thumbs into the pockets of my shorts, trying to look as casual as possible.

I hope I'm fooling Alec, coz I'm sure as hell not fooling me.

As soon as he runs away, I dash down the long corridors, on my way to the kitchen.

When I ease my way down those treturous stairs, I hear someone bustling about in the kitchen. I jump the last few steps, landing steadily on my toes, a grin on my face.

Then I look up, and see Gianna pouring herself a coffee.

"Oh, my, GOD!" I yell. "Get out! Seriously! What the fuck is the matter with you? You're always in the wrong place at the wrong time! Out! Get the fuck outta my kitchen before I take that coffee and dump it over your badly-dyed hair!"

Gianna looks totally shocked, even worried. She doesn't hesitate, she makes a beeline for the stairs.

"That's right, run, bitch!" I shout after her retreating form.

Jeez. Fucking secretaries. What the hell does she even do? 'Blood type A goes in this file, and blood type AB goes in _this_ file...' Fucking Christ. Get a real job!

I'm muttering curses to myself when familliar heavy footsteps reach my ears. I whirl around.

Dare I hope? Will this be like some terrible movie montage that always makes me wanna hurl my remote at the TV set? Or will I be hurling a coffee pot instead?

However, when Benjamin appears at the door, all moronic thoughts flee my head.

He hugs me fiercely and I hug him back with a vengeance. I tuck my head under his chin, sighing deeply in relief.

"It's been days," I mumble.

"Alec is pissed," Benjamin replies, not letting me go. "He's been keeping you under lock and key. Jane's been more lenient."

"Is she mad at you?" I ask, unable to hide the fretting in my voice. I've been worrying about what she's been doing to him. He has a bruise extending across his throat and jaw. Reaching up with one trembling hand, I touch it carefully. He winces anyway. I retract my hand, horrified.

"No," Benjamin sighs. "She doesn't care enough to be mad, which worries me."

I don't get a chance to ask why. A smooth voice interrupts us.

"Ah, good," Alec purrs, a dangerous gleam in his eye. "Here you both are."

Jane beside him holds out her hand. "Come. Aro wants us in the hall."

I watch Alec carefully. He doesn't seem pissed. Instead, he seems...gratified. He looks weirdly hyper and happy. I examine his body language carefully the whole time we walk. He and Jane glide ahead, allowing Benjamin and I to lag behind them. Benjamin grips my hand tightly in his. His hand is cold and clammy. I squeeze back with mine.

He's careful to move next to Jane when we enter the hall, following her obediently into the centre. Alec and I follow.

"Ah, wonderful," Aro sighs from his throne. "Everyone's here."

"Let us begin," Caius says sharply. "I have precious little patience left."

When Aro says everyone, he really means _everyone_.

The entire Guard is in attendance. Even some of the Lower Guard that I've seen roaming around the place.

I know this room. This is the feeding hall. It's the only time I've been here since that first fateful night. I shiver.

"Right," Aro says. "First thing's first. Jane? Have you come to a decision?"

"I have, Master," Jane replies respectfully.

"I take it you have chosen to proceed."

Jane replies yes.

"Very well. Go ahead, dear one. Let us get it over with. There are other matters to discuss."

Jane turns back to us. Alec moves swiftly away.

Jane tugs on a slim chain around her neck. I hadn't spotted it before. She wears it inside her clothes. She snaps the chain carelessly, holding the charm between her fingers – a small white key.

She walks back to Benjamin and places a hand on his throat. He's deathly pale. Her hand slips down and takes the little white lock of his collar in her hands. The key fits it, and the lock snaps open. With careful hands, Jane removes Benjamin's collar and drops it uncaringly to the ground.

"Wh-what?" I stammer, shocked. I go unnoticed.

Jane turns away and walks back to where I'm standing. Alec moves forward, to stand behind Benjamin.

"Ah, brother," Jane interrupts. "You promised."

Alec sighs. "You take the fun away, sister."

She shrugs. "I care little. A deal is a deal. I'm holding up my end. I trust you to do the same."

With a glint in his eyes, Alec lapses into silence.

Benjamin doesn't dare move, even blink. But I see the tears of fright forming in his eyes. I have to fight the urge to run to him.

I see it then. It's like a clear fog, creeping and oozing it's way around the floor. It surrounds Benjamin, then begins ascending up his legs. Within a few seconds, it's encased his body.

Benjamin sags, and Alec has to catch him by the arms. Benjamin's head lolls to one side, and his legs give way.

I see what's happening, but my brain refuses to process it.

With a feral snarl, Alec's head lunges forward, and his teeth sink into Benjamin's neck.

It feels as if there's someone else in my body seeing what I'm seeing, feeling what I'm feeling. She's the one who reacts, not me. From my head to my toes, I feel ice cold. She's the one who's legs buckle, and she drops to her knees on the ground, mouth open in a silent scream, fists dragging out of her clothes in a desperate attempt to get a grip on something.

I see the beads of blood where Alec's mouth is pressed to Benjamin's throat. I see them slide down his skin, real and startling red.

After a hundred years, Alec's head lifts, and he pushes Benjamin's corpse away from him, dropping it to the floor. His eyes rise to lock on mine, dazzling ruby, deadly and firm. His lips shine wetly, the same red as his eyes. His pale tongue licks the last traces of Benjamin from them, like I would do after a big meal.

"Someone get her out of here," Caius says irritably.

"I will," Renata says quickly, stepping away from the murmuring crowd. I feel her lift me into her arms and run me from the room.

When we reach Alec's bedroom, Renata goes right in. She sits on the edge of his bed with me still in her arms. She holds me in her lap, rocking me to and fro. It's only then that I realise I'm sobbing.

It feels like hours before Alec comes back. When he does, he speaks directly to Renata.

"What are you doing in here?" He demands, sounding irritated. Renata gently nudges me off her lap.

"Alec please-"

"Get out. I want to speak to my human alone."

With a sigh, Renata rises. She walks past him, but not before throwing him a cold look.

"Sometimes it's hard to look past what outsiders see, Alec," she says. There's no anger in her voice. Just pity. Alec doesn't look bothered.

"I thought I told you to go," he responds, in an equally cold tone. She shakes her head slowly and walks through the door, shutting it softly on her way out.

Once she's gone, Alec stares at me.

I start to shake violently, quivering all over. "You rat bastard," I spit. My voice doesn't even sound like my own. I sound posessed. I scream hysterically. "_You rat bastard_!"

The stanger is still in my body. She flies at him, kicking and hitting out, her nails scraping down his face in an effort to hurt him. It doesn't work. Instead, I just piss him off.

"_Stop that, human_!" He yells, grabbing me by my arms and thrusting me to the floor. My body heaves with tearless sobs.

"I've been so lenient towards you," he hisses viciously. "I could have punished you a thousand times over by now, but I haven't. Yet still, you disobey me. When I went away, I tell you not to leave my room. You leave in the instant I go. I tell you not to go near Benjamin. You run to him the second I let you free."

He grabs a hank on my hair and throws me in the direction of the bed. I jump up, preparing to run. My legs don't get me two strides before cold hands grab me. "_Time to get punished._"

He throws me onto my back, and I lie there, winded.

"_On your knees_!" He roars.

He pulls me up and forces me to my knees. I choke out desperate pleas that fall on deaf ears.

_No-_

_No, please-_

_Don't make me-_

_Anything but-_

_Alec!_

He doesn't hear me. He doesn't listen. His fingers twist themselves painfully into my hair. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying hard not to cry.

He pulls my head back, forcing my mouth open. I hear the zipper of his jeans opening.

Every instinct in my body tells me to choke as he pushes his hard cock between my lips. With a sharp hiss, he places his other hand behind my head. His grip on my hair loosens. I stop struggling.

"Good girl," he breathes. With a throaty grunt, he starts moving his hips carefully.

Tears of rage, humiliation, terror, streak down my face as he thrusts into my mouth. I give a muffled, agonised groan as he forces himself down my throat.

"_Yes_, Phoenix," he moans, breathing hard. My eyes open to stare up at him. His own eyes are squeezed shut, his head lolling sideways. His torso is heaving with the deep breaths.

His cock is impossibly heavy on my tongue. I try to ignore the fact that he tastes _good_. Everything else is disgusting.

After several more minutes – _feels like fucking hours - _ he gives another grunt, a loud cry, and spills his cool, wet release over my tongue. Then he pulls out, finished.

"Clean yourself up," he says bluntly, leaving me sprawling on the floor. With that, he zips up his jeans and leaves.

I'm left to retch and sob by myself.

Alec is gone hours.

My throat feels raw. My head is pounding. My eyes ache from the unending flow of tears. My mouth feels dry.

I lie in the same spot he left me in. My eyes stare into nothing as my brain slowly works through today's events.

Benjamin is dead.

Alec killed him before my eyes.

Alec has himself a new hobby.

I sit up, still shaking.

_God, I hate him so much it physically hurts_.

For the first time, I understand why people kill. Who can harbour this agonising hatred towards another? How do they survive it?

It's another flight or fight situation.

I can't fight. I have to fly.

Jumping up, I dart towards the bed, rummaging underneath for my bag. It's there still – he hasn't touched it. My passport and travelling documents are still inside, safe. So is the remainder of my money.

_So fly I will_.

I throw my bag over my shoulder, and slip out the door, closing it silently behind me. I leap down every flight of stairs I can find. When I touch the bottom floor, I know my way to the garage.

I bypass all the beautiful cars – probably the only things I'll miss about this place. I press the button on the wall that opens the garage door. When it's open wide enough, I duck underneath, fleeing into the night.

**Yup. I'm sick. I'm perfectly aware. Alec doesn't take competition well.**


	11. Whispers In The Dark

**I was asked for Alec's insight, and Alec's insight I shall deliver!**

**Saw Breaking Dawn and DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN I actually fucking loved it. It stuck true to the book which I liked, except in wolf form Sam sounded like fucking Optimus Prime and I damn near fell out of my seat laughing.**

_Despite the lies that you're making,_

_Your love is mine for the taking..._

_When darkness comes you know I'm never far,_

_Hear my whispers in the dark_

****ALEC POV!****

Aro gave my sister and I many things.

Jewels, for my dearest Jane. Having grown up in a life of poverty and neglect, the closest she ever came to something valuble was to see it around the bulbous throat of a well-fed rich woman. Aro pandered to her lust for pretty things, bestowing gifts of beauty upon her whenever she pleased him, as she often did. Her gift was her saving grace.

When it came to me, however, Aro took a different approach.

Though I found Jane's presents pretty, certainly, I had little interest in jewels. Aro was entertained by my "boyish nature", as he called it. I always made a face when he said this. I was, essencially, just that – a _boy_ – did he expect much else? It was his excuse for everything I did;

"Oh, Caius. Let the child alone. It's just his boyish nature."

"Corin, how many times must I _tell_ you? You're not to take him that way. His boyish nature will not stand for it."

"Felix, my dear! Calm yourself. Alec did not _mean_ it. It's just his boyish nature."

And so, when it came to gifts and indulgences, Aro took more forethought.

He fed my talent for music, gifting me with gracious and beautiful instruments. Each week on a Sunday night, after my last patrolling shift of the week was over – he would slip a piece of paper into my hand before I went to my room. It was a sheet of music.

Sometimes, he would have composed it himself. Other times he would take modern songs that Corin often blared in her bedroom, and transform them into operatic pieces. He had no patience for modern instruments, however (the last I had owned was a set of drums, which I had played happily until Caius ordered them dismembered and _burned_) and so I would make do with the instruments he chose for me.

I would take the sheet and have it perfected within a few short days. Every Friday evening as the huge plaza clock struck six, as the sun began to sink and melt into the sloping terracotta roofs, the castle and everyone in it would fall silent, and music would echo it.

The music was disturbingly lovely, even to my own ears. Lulling and soothing and remarkable, be it played from violin, piano, harp, or flute.

This was Volterra's evensong.

Aro did more than urge my musical talents. He also rewarded me with new things.

Despite my antiquated tendancies, I had a love and fascination of all things modern and technalogical. Up until only a few decades ago, Aro and his brothers had been completely adamant that though Volterra may advance and grow, inside our lovely castle, our old-fashioned values would reign.

They despised all these shiny new things – laptops, televisions, music systems – but the rest of us craved them. We thought Aro would never budge in his resolve, but one day after a successful takedown of a large, overly-cocky coven that had involved us each and all, we returned home (victorious and hyper) to have him reveal something from under his cloak. It was the remotes to a television set.

I'll never forget the leaping and shrieking and excitement of that day, when we all huddled round the standard set for endless hours, our eyes locked on the moving black-and-white figures on screen in total fascination. Another thing I shan't ever forget, was the coven-wide heartbreak when that first, unsteady set flickered and died one final time. For weeks we hovered around, bored and unsatisfied with little to entertain us. We had lived on that set, night and day and between whatever free times our duties granted us. Aro had been appalled when he received the first bill.

Gradually, he ajusted to the modernised world, and with his acceptance we bought into it more and more. Caius could not have been more disgusted.

Another thing Aro gave me: cars.

I loved cars. I loved how the light gleamed off their voluptuous, glossy shells, how their enjines purred, how fast they went... not as swift as our own legs, granted, but thrilling all the same.

At first, Aro had declared that I was too young to be granted such machines. He was going by the Italian driving age, which disgusted and insulted me. But Aro was unmoving on the subject.

I took to driving everyone _else's_ cars, with or without their permission. I had not been taught to drive – no one would disobey Aro to educate me – so I was going by what I had seen the others do, and what I had read in Car Annuals. I wasn't very successful. In fact, I was a disaster at driving. More often than not the others would discover their shiny loves missing, and me hiding in my room, trying to wash the stench of murky river water out of my clothes. They never failed to catch me out either way. I seemed to be permenantly grounded.

Then one day, Aro did something unimaginable. When he announced it, I was shocked to my core. He had bought himself a car.

And _oh_, it was beautiful, sleek and shiny and _fast_. And I wanted it, so badly.

I had whined and pleaded (and tortured) Afton until he agreed to cover for me during our shared patrolling shift. He didn't know why I was sneaking home, but I think he had a fair idea.

My main (if only) skill when it came to cars was hotwiring. I could hotwire a car within moments. I had eased up the door of the garage – so slowly, so silently – until I could drive her out and into the city.

I remember glancing out the window just once – I was far too entranced by the shiny dials and glowing buttons to bother with looking up – and seeing Afton's horrified face as I breezed past him in Aro's latest indulgence.

He had raced after me, hopping and bouncing off roofs in a silent rage. He had caught up easily – the narrow Volterra streets were not equipped allow for full-throttle speed. In one agile hop, he landed on the roof, startling me.

The car seemed to sweve by its' self, and sent me _and_ Afton, crashing into the wall of the church.

Caius had been raging. Even Marcus had been angry (the church was in his namesake, after all. The Church of Saint Marcus was his own). But Aro, surprisingly, was nothing more than exsasperated. After that, he finally gave in. Within the next week, a shiny new car had been delivered for me. And Aro put my misbehaviors down to _my boyish natures_.

Yes, Aro gave me many things, indulged by habits – both good and bad – pandered to my needs...but he never gave me anything so..._delicious_...as when he gave me Phoenix.

Arrogant, disrespectful, furious.

On the first night I saw her, she was curled on my bed, asleep. In her hand, she clasped a small plastic inhaler – a literal lifeline. Her wild black hair splayed around her face and shoulders. Her closed eyes were encircled with dark rings. Her skin was pale, and I could see her honey slick blood sliding beneath the thin membrane of the skin of her white throat.

_And the skin was so smooth...so soft and tempting..._

I heard her heartbeat – despite her weary external appearance, it was strong and healthy.

Her lips were plump and pale, parted slightly as breaths that were almost harsh slipped through them. These breaths, laboured even in rest, explained the inhaler.

Her body was lithe and slender. I could tell even as she was tucked around herself.

She looked so sweet...so serene.

I soon learned that looks are deceiving. I should have known. My own features were great weapons in drawing in prey, and women. However, she refused to be drawn.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" She spat, rage clear in her voice. It had a husk to it; she had been crying. Recently.

I explained to her, several times, that she was mine. She never accepted it. She argued relentlessly, refusing to be afraid of me.

And oh, I tried, I _tried_ to make her afraid. Several times I saw fear flash in her eyes, but always it cleared before I could embed it.

Her eyes. They didn't blaze bright blue or green or even brown. They were hazel, probably the dullest of eye colours, but how they shone. They gleamed when she was angry, glittered when she was up to mischief (which was often) and glowed when she was happy. Which wasn't that often at all.

There was another look, which was the rarest of all. They dulled and glazed when she was embarrassed, which happened only once.

Corin had been wrong about her scent. Well, she _was_ correct about the cinnamon and coconut, a most unusual combination, but she had forgotten the vanilla. There was a prominant undertone of vanilla and frankensence. Of this I was sure. Frankensence has been well known as an aphrodesiac throughout the ages.

Sometimes, when I was particularily thirsty, her scent became almost too much to bear. However, I hadn't been very thirsty at all the first and so far only time I had ever seen her embarrassed.

I had pulled her body to me unthinkingly, trying to keep her silent so that the aging human females would perhaps think we had left. My face, pressed against her scent-heavy hair, had inhaled the deliciously arousing aroma, and I had frozen. Her unhidden curves, soft, warm flesh that was tanned in the slightest measure were pressed against my own body.

I could feel her body heat transferring to me. For a few seconds after the contact ended, I would be the closest I had been to _warm_ in hundreds of years.

The cubicle was atrociously small; our bodies were pressed against one another, her heart thrumming loudly, more heat rushing to her face as she realised that she was virtually naked.

I felt familliar stirrings in my own body, which seemed to have a mind of it's own in those moments. I could feel myself hardening beneath my clothes, and I tensed, trying to angle myself away from her. I was unsuccessful.

She became rigid as I stiffened almost painfully in my jeans. I swallowed deeply, ridding my mouth of the excess venom that tingled on my tongue when her scent assaulted my senses, and when my body reacted to hers.

It took a few days after that..._occurance_...for me to realise that I craved her.

I could control myself, obviously. I had wanted others far more than I wanted her, in the past. Vampire women. It was rare that I would take release in a _human_ body. Only about four times in my whole existance. I disliked that I had to be careful. One slip, and said body was useless to me.

When Aro gave her to me, his exact words were; "Go easy on your gift, my lad. It is most precious and fragile."

He thought I would use her the way Corin had used her various pets – male and female alike – and like how Demetri had used Annabelle.

I remembered how Demetri had been when he had posessed the human girl. A sweet girl, easily charmed by Demetri's suave and seductive nature. She hadn't expected to die that way. And yet, none of us were exactly _sorry_ to learn of her demise. Something in Demetri that had become bound when she arrived, snapped and set him free upon her death. I think we were all relieved. Until then, most of his life revolved around his little human plaything – and he refused to share.

The blonde with the deep brown eyes and light skin had captivated him when he spotted her on the tour. He requested her as a pet, and Aro decided to allow it – Demetri had been good lately.

He had moped for a few days prior to her death, but then seemed to shake off his shadowy exterior and move on.

After the incident in the changing room, I pondered the idea of using Phoenix that way.

I imagined how her small body would feel, writhing beneath me, shuddering and convulsing when I drove her over the edge again and again and _again_. Humans did release so easily. The thought of hearing her scream my name had me instantly hard again. And she would be so warm, so very warm and wet. And tight, I would imagine. It was usually a quality that came with youth, having had so little time to engage in sexual liasons. She was, phsyically at least, one year my junior.

And I decided to be patient, and bide my time. What could be more fun than a game of strategy and persistance? Like a game of chess, something I often played with Aro. He was the only one in the castle who could give me a decent run. And still, more often than not, I destroyed him.

I would capture Phoenix's trust and her affections and her _lust,_ her everything. And, when I had that, I would have _her_, her being. And the game would be over. I would take pleasure in her body, again and again, until Aro decided that he either wanted her changed, or would let me drain that sweet, thick blood from the smooth skin of her throat.

There were two kinks in my plan: number one was probably the most prominant.

Entrapping her being meant allowing her personality to glow. And, I soon found her argumental nature to be quite likable. There were few that would stand up to me like she did, and her ferocity was riveting.

"If she is changed," Aro mused, staring out the window in deep thought. "She will be hard to handle."

I agreed.

It was not just me she seemed intent on antagonising. Our poor long-suffering tracker became the brunt of her innuendos and teasing. She loved to play with him. Felix, too. But he gave what he got, which delighted her. He could take a joke.

If she hadn't been so infuriating, so agonisingly tempting, and so very human, she might have been someone I would be friends with.

And I did love arguements. My intellect allowed me to best her most of the time, but I did love her snapbacks.

We had plenty in common. Our tempers, for one. Though I had had far more practice at keeping mine in check.

I imagined her dead. Not dead, like myself. But dead as in never to return. Never to blink or breathe or laugh. I would never feel the warmth of her body against mine, or inhale her sweet breath as she exhaled in frustration.

I would get over it, eventually, as Demetri did. But I wondered if I would think of her often. How long would her scent linger throughout the household until I demanded every window be left open?

Kink two, whilst tolerable, was far more annoying.

Benjamin.

Jane's little human toy, whom she had kept for much longer than any of her others. Phoenix related easily to him, was drawn to his charisma and warmth. They were in the same situation; the Pets of the infamous Witch Twins.

I watched their friendship blossom before my eyes. I knew that he had feelings for her before she did, probably even before he did. I was surprised by the sharp bubble of rage that lodged its' self in my chest when I first noticed his eyes linger on her.

"Your human is dense," I said to Jane while we were away on our mission, and she narrowed her eyes. Whether it was at my sharp tone or my words, I wasn't sure.

"How so?" She asked, brushing her hair back behind her shoulders. She didn't seem interested.

"He and Phoenix are alike," I mused. "Neither of them seem to understand that she is my posession."

"You think he has feelings for her?" She asked, sounding like she was going to start laughing.

"Perhaps," I growled, annoyed that she wasn't taking this seriously.

My 'perhaps' was confirmed when we returned home. I went to my room, intending to let her out (or if she'd escaped, like a big part of me suspected, hunt her down again), but she wasn't there. With a heavy sigh, I was going to go to Demetri and ask him to help me find her, a little worried about what trouble she could have gotten herself into within four days of my absense. The girl seemed allergic to sanity and safety. Was she even still alive?

I growled at myself as my stomach squeezed at the idea.

As I ventured towards Demetri's bedroom, I passed Jane's. Her door was open and she was standing in the middle of the floor, looking puzzled.

"Jane?" I asked. She turned to look at me, perplexed.

I inhaled deeply. I could smell that Benjamin hadn't been here in a few days, at least.

I stiffened in realisation. "Your's is gone too?"

Jane looked at me, eyes blazing. "I blame your one," she snapped.

I rolled my eyes, sighing deeply. I would have protested, but honestly, I blamed my one too.

"Let's go find them," I sais, extending my hand to her. She took it and dragged me out the door behind her, irritated.

Her irritation vanished when we discovered Phoenix and Benjamin kissing.

I saw as he had his hands on her body, his lips on hers.

The white-hot fury in my chest almost hurt. Jane could see how enraged I was becoming, and her eyes danced in eager anticipation.

But then I closed my eyes, my whole body flushing coolly as I calmed down a fraction. Was I not famed for my ruthless torture games? Why react rashly in this moment, when I could take my time and come up with something that would hurt them both beyond recovery?

So take my time I did. I pondered for days, keeping Phoenix close by me at all times. Clever girl, she didn't try to escape. She knew that I was angry. After a few days, I went to Jane.

"Sister?" I called, knocking twice and entering her bedroom.

"Yes?" She replied, screwing earrings into her white shell ears and blinking rapidly at me.

A wicked smile twisted on my lips.

"Shall we make a deal?"

Her eyes twinkled. "A deal?"

"Yes," I nodded, going to lean against her vanity table. "I know you've been growing bored of your Pet."

"And if I have?" She said, her voice the theme-tune of nonchalance.

"I have a proposition," I offered. "Relinquish your ownership of the boy, allow me to kill him."

Jane's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Such violence in your soul, brother," she tutted playfully.

"Look who's talking," I responded, still smiling.

"And if I do decide to give you what you wish? What will be in it for me?" She demanded. I sensed triumph; she was interested.

"When the time comes that Phoenix no longer satisfies my interest, I will allow you to take her and do to her as you wish," I pledged. "Play with her, torture her, drain her, I really don't care."

There was a brief silence as Jane mulled over my offer. Then she raised her eyes to mine.

"I will accept your offer," she announced. "Your girl irritates me beyond the telling of it. I would give anything to sink my teeth into her. However, I do have one condition."

"Anything," I promised fiercely.

"Benjamin has been a good companion, but you are right, I've grown bored of him. He's far too breakable and doesn't heal as quickly as I would like. And, although his infatuation with the child of yours amuses me, I'm willing to let you have him. But, I want you to use your gift on him."

"Oh _Jane_," I complained.

"That is my condition, take it or leave it," she inststed. "I must admit I've grown quite fond of him. I do not with for his death to be painful."

I paused. Either way, Benjamin would die. I would win, even if he didn't feel the pain of my victory. I assumed that Phoenix would feel enough pain for both of them.

"Deal," I replied, holding out my hand. Jane placed her small hand in mine, and we sealed our agreement.

And I did win. I got to see the fear in his eyes when he realised what was happening, when he fell captive under my talent. I got to hear Phoenix scream as I plunged my teeth into his throat and drained the life from him.

Benjamin's body was cleared up quickly. Jane's eyes met mine, a silent reminder that I still had one end of my deal to hold up. I almost smiled. My poor, naive little Jane. Did she not know me at all? Did she honestly think that I would let her have my girl? Undoubtably not. Phoenix was mine and always would be, and if anyone was going to end her life, it would be me.

When Aro bid us all leave, I returned to my room, where Renata was coddling Phoenix. I hunted Renata away, ignoring her comments. Phoenix beat me with her small fists, sobbing. I inhaled, and realised something critical that I hadn't noticed before.

Benjamin's scent was in my bedroom.

My lips pulled back over my teeth as they clenched, and anger pulsed through my dead veins. Benjamin had been in my bedroom while I was away. He had been in here with Phoenix. His scent was all over; my bathroom; my sofa; and my bed.

I though the frustration of Phoenix's attachment to him had left my body when Benjamin's blood left his. But when I smelled his scent all over my bedroom, all over my bed and _her_, and I thought I knew what they had done, my rage bubbled over.

I took my anger out on her, my disobedient little pet. And she was incredible, just as I knew she would be. I took out all the pent up rage, desire and lust I had been feeling towards her and forced it on her, revelling in how good it felt.

Her soft wet tongue sliding against the underside of my aching shaft felt undescribable. Her throat closing around me felt even better. I took strands of her dark hair between my fingers and felt the softness, and the flush of her red cheeks against my palms. As her tears fell, they dripped onto my skin and their heat burned. Her shaking hands grabbed fistfuls of my open jeans. I'm sure she felt when my thighs tensed with my impending release.

And when I came, I came _hard_. I tried to keep myself still so as not to break her perfect mouth, but my whole body shook with forceful tremours as I squirted my release over her wonderfully warm tongue.

And then, I let her drop fully to the floor, and left her there to cry alone.

Now, I'm walking beneath the cloisters of the garden, watching the stars in the clear night sky. I've seen them thousands upon thousands of times, and yet their beauty never seems to astound me. I feel especially euphoric tonight, my entire body still tingling after my release.

Even from this distance, my slightly ajar bedroom window allows me to hear Phoenix's laboured, hysterical sobs. I look up at my window. Half of me, the decent half with a conscience, tells me to go up and take her into my arms and rock her until she's silent. But the other half tells me to leave the bitch on the floor. It's where she belongs. The little whore brought it on herself.

She did.

I breathe in the night air, ignoring the faint undertone of her scent that's attatched it's self to my clothing. Closing my eyes, I tuck my hands in my pockets and sigh.

Then, I feel the air shift as someone stops running to stand beside me.

"Alec, she's crying," Renata says, sounding desperate.

With a heavy exhalation, I turn to the frustrated Shield. "Well done, Renata. Now, be a dear and run along and find someone else's business to pry into, will you?"

"Alec," she begs. "Please. I know you're not this much of an asshole."

"What do you even want me to do?" I snap, skewering her with my eyes.

"Go to her. Tell her you're sorry. She;s the only human left here now," Renata's voice turns sad.

"Like sorry ever fixes shit," I snort. "Besides, Gianna's a human."

It's Renata's turn to snort. "Yes. Let's lock Renata and Phoenix in a room together and _force_ them to be friends. We can see which one comes out with a full head of hair."

"Sounds good to me," I shrug. "Gianna's gone past her sell-by date anyway. I expect we'll be getting rid of her soon."

"_Don't_ change the subject," Renata insists.

"I wasn't trying."

Renata's dainty hands fist her hair, looking at me in complete frustration. "Alec _please_-"

"Look, why don't _you_ go to her if you care so fucking much?" I snap. "Just leave me the fuck alone."

She growls. And coming from timid little Renata, it's a strange sound. She takes a step closer to me and grabs my wrist, ignoring my hisses. She breathes sharply in and out, searching for words to convince me.

On her third intake of air, she freezes.

Her eyes lock on my face, wide, disbelieving. She sniffs again, and her lips part in shock.

I know what she's smelling. Phoenix's scent is all over me. The scent of my release is clinging to my clothes. Renata isn't a fool. She puts two and two together.

She drops my wrist like it's burning her. She brings her hand to her mouth as she takes small, staggering steps back. Her eyes stare into mine, silently begging me to tell her she's wrong.

I stare back silently, unabashed.

Suddenly she reels forward, and slaps me sharply in the face.

"You _fucker_!" She screams, her lower lip trembling.

My hand touches my face in shock. I feel my stonelike skin scrack and heal within a second. My own eyes are wide now, my jaw slackened. For a second she sees my expression and stares a her own hand, shocked at her own actions. Then she recovers and her eyes narrow with hatred.

"You absolute fucker! You know what? I was wrong. You _are_ an asshole! I cannot _believe_ you! After what happened to Jane-"

"_DON'T_ _YOU DARE_!" I roar. She doesn't flinch.

"After what happened to _both_ of you! You swore! You swore you'd never _do_ something like this! You say you're not like him, don't you? It's your own private reassurance. But you know what, Alec? Monsters are bred from monsters. I always thought different about _you_. I said you were different from him, but now I'm having my doubts."

I can't reply as she storms away. I don't know how to. In one swift leap, she's over the castle walls and into the city, disappearing from my sight.

My chest hurts, aches, even. My throat feels dry.

I sit on the damp grass, and the baleful moon stares down at me, it's intense gaze judgemental.

Despite everything, Renata's words sting.

It's no secret that Jane and I were raised with a heavy hand. I got the worst of our father's rages. He hated me more, because his wife – our mother – had died giving birth to me. I grew up being despised in my own home as well as our shitty little village. Jane's upbringing wasn't much better. But he'd strike me thrise as often as he'd lay a hand on her. But shortly after we turned sixteen, seven days before we died, I returned home from stealing food to find him raping my sister on the kitchen floor.

And I murdered him for it.

I came up behind them and yanked him back by his hair – the exact shade and texture of mine – and sliced his throat with his own hunting knife. I remember it vividly, how his hot blood had spurted over my hand and onto my sister's white, naked flesh. His blue eyes – clones of my own – rolled back in his head as his body spasmed and gave.

I'd held my screaming sister in my arms and promised that I would protect her. He would never hurt us again. I made sure of it.

In that last week, I watched my lovely twin change. She wasn't right, even after we were burned and changed.

And the killer part, the part that probably gets to me the most, is the fact that I can't pass a reflective surface without seeing him. We are so alike in looks that it's haunting. His jawline, his build, his brow. Every genetic trait was passed down to me. It was times like this that I was glad I would never grow older. I would never grow into him.

Not physically, at least.

But when Jane and I arrived in Volterra, we were traumatised. Newborn vampires are, at best, agonising. Jane and I were full-on-loathsome. I spent a good portion of my first year locked in a heavily-guarded cell in the basement, because I was so dangerous.

"It isn't his fault," Aro always said, somewhat uneasily. "He just needs a good example, is all. He never really had one."

This was true. With only my violent, intoxicated father as a male role model, Aro says it's a wonder I still have my sanity and humanity (for the most part, anyway).

When I arrived, in my mind, certain things were allowed. Expected, even. Like violent bursts of rage and temper, fighting and rape.

It took a lot to convince me that this, in fact, was not true. Aro spent months drilling into me what was right and wrong. And, in the end, I learned.

I promised myself that I would never be like him. And until now, I felt that I had kept to my resolution.

Until tonight at least.

I feel slightly ill, realising the extent of what I did. But the most frightening thing is, while I feel guilty, I don't regret a thing. I don't regret ending Benjamin's pathetic life or forcing Phoenix to her knees.

I get to my feet and race inside, surprised at how much time has passed while I was thinking everything through. I run up to my room, hoping that once I see her bruised and tear-stained face, I'll regret what I've done.

I don't hear her crying any more. I think she must have fallen asleep.

I ease the door open, slipping inside my room. My eyes drop to the floor where I left Phoenix, but she isn't there. She isn't on the bed. My eyes stare into the darkness of the bathroom. She isn't there either.

Phoenix is gone.


	12. Runaway

**Was really expecting a shitheap of flames for the 10th chapter xD And am also expecting flames for this one, because the majority of this chapter isn't in Phoenix's POV, but it isn't in Alec's either!**

_I might have nowhere left to go, but I know that I cannot go home,_

_These voices trapped inside my head, tell me to run before I'm dead..._

_Wasn't it you, wasn't it you,_

_Wasn't it you that made me run away?_

**Alice POV! Jesus Mary and the other chap!**

The airport terminals are flooded with people. Mostly agitated, irritable people. For some reason, airports tend to put humans on edge. Maybe the fact that it's three in the morning isn't helping.

It certainly isn't helping with us. We're all here, even Jacob. He and Rosalie are currently bickering over one thing or another. Something about Jacob stinking up the plane. Renesmee is lying across two plastic chairs, snoring obliviously.

"Alice, how long till the cab gets here?" Emmett asks boredly.

"Be patient, Emmett," Esme chides half-heartedly. I know she's scared. We all are. But Aro's invitation to stay a few day so they could see that Nessie had grown was kind of an accept-or-die scenario. We wouldn't have an army behind us this time. However, I hadn't seen any bad intentions in Aro's agenda. So we chose the lesser of two evils: go to them instead of having them come to us. Because if they came to us, the Guard wold hunt in our area, no matter what we asked of them. And we couldn't have that.

They'd be satisfied, anyway. Nessie looked about eight or nine. They couldn't deny that she'd grown. She was inconspicuous in her elementary school where Esme taught. She'd done everything right. How could they fault her?

"Just look, Alice, please. I hate airports," Emmett complains. "They make me hungry."

Jasper rolls his eyes at Emmett and comes to sit beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

Bella and Edward come back from baggage claim, looking like they'd rather be anywhere else. Bella throws Jacob and Rose a weary look, but doesn't intervene.

"Okay," I sigh, and I search for our cab.

Emmett does a small seated victory dance when I announce fifteen minutes.

I look for the castle, wondering what's happening there.

_A girl, one I don't know. I've never seen her before. She's human. This much is obvious. She has raven black hair hastily pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her sharp hazel eyes are anxious. Her soft, sallow skin is covered in varied bruises. She's wearing dark blue jeans and a black hoodie. Over her shoulder is a bag stuffed with items. She's clinging to it like a lifeline._

_She's running. Without looking, she dashes across a road, throwing a fearful glance behind her. There's an ominous squeal of brakes._

_The bumper of the cab only just taps her, but it's enough to send her small body slamming into the road. The driver jumps out as she sits up, dazed. He's shouting in Italian, words she clearly doesn't understand. He tries to speak what English he knows._

"_You right?" He gasps, again and again, clasping her wrist in his hand, his other hand on her shoulder._

_Her whole body is tense; she hates his hands on her._

"_I-I'm fine," she stammers, a bit stunned. She forces herself to her feet, glancing anxiously in the direction she'd come from. "I need to leave."_

_He holds her arms still, afraid that she'll fall if he lets her go. "Where to?" He asks, his voice still anxious. "Hospital?"_

"_No!" She gasps. "Airport."_

_His heavy brow furrows, but he nods, helping the girl into the back of the cab._

_They drive in silence. She stares out the window into the blackness, touching her hip where the bumper struck her. It aches, but she isn't bothered much. Her thoughts are elsewhere._

_They reach the airport quickly, but when the car stops, he places his hand over the meter._

"_Free charge," he declares._

"_Thank you," she gabbles, throwing the door open and racing away. Her eyes turn back and she gazes into the distance – at the looming castle on the hill._

"Alice?"

The airport unhazes around me. My family have stopped everything and are staring at me, with anxiety clear in their eyes. All except for Edward, who looks as puzzled as I feel.

"She was coming from the castle," Edward says, sounding baffled.

"I know," I grimace. "I think she was escaping."

"Who?" Jasper demands, now kneeling in front of me.

"A girl," I say, my nose wrinkled in confusion.

"Here, Alice," Carlisle passes me a blank piece of paper – the back of a dessert menu from one of the terminal cafès – and a small pencil. "Tell us about it."

"The girl," I say, as I begin to rapidly sketch the outline of her features. "Small. Young. She looked scared."

"She was running away from something," Edward tacks on. "I think it was the castle."

"The Volturi?" Esme whispers. Edward nods.

"She was human."

"I don't understand," Carlisle frowns, rubbing his forehead. "The Volturi would never be careless enough to allow a human to slip through their fingers."

"Well she did," I say, my hand flying quickly across the page, adding the finishing touches to her eyes.

"I've never seen her before," Carlisle says when I flash it at him. Everyone else says the same.

Another flash.

_She's in the airport, ducking swiftly through the crowds of people. She doesn't know her way around._

_I see something familliar in the background. The board telling when flights are coming in and going out. She doesn't understand the Italian words. I search for any indication of when it is. There's a watch strapped to the wrist of a passer-by. It's three thirteen._

It's three ten now.

I jump up at the same time Edward darts away. The board is close by; we just came from it. Jasper, Carlisle and Bella follow.

"Do you see her?" I ask Edward, my voice rising over the buzz of the crowds. I have to hop up over people's heads to see.

"No," Edward replies, frustrated.

"There," Jasper says suddenly, gliding through the crowd. He gets to her first.

She's standing there with her eyes shut, breathing evenly. She looks completely lost.

"What's her name?" Bella asks.

Edward listens.

"Nyx," he replies.

She looks up at the sound of her own name. Her eyes narrow and her teeth clench. She looks away, deciding she must have been hearing things. Her teeth bite down hard on her bottom lip; there's a scar there.

"Phoenix," Edward says, his voice gentle. Her whole body turns to face us.

"Who the fuck are you?" She spits angrily, jumping back. She glares at Edward's extended hand. He retracts it slowly, focusing on her thoughts.

"It's okay," I soothe. She bristles, her fists clenching.

"Jasper," Carlisle says, too quietly for her to hear. Jasper nods.

Her body slumps a little as Jasper slowly oozes relaxation through her body. Rosalie comes up behind me. Esme slips her arm through Carlisle's. Emmett and Jacob, holding Nessie, slip to flank them. They're all staring at Phoenix.

She looks closer at us, and I see the spark of intuition in her blazing eyes as she realises what we are.

"Who are you?" She asks again, her eyes surveying all of us with curious eyes.

"My name is Carlisle," Carlisle says, his voice gentle and soft. Her head cocks to te side, revealling more bruises on her jaw. "This is my family."

I can see the thoughts ticking in her head. "Are you the Cullens?" She asks slowly.

We share shocked glances. How does this little human know about us?

"How do you know that?" Emmett demands.

She looks directly into his eyes. "They're waiting for you," she says.

Emmett's hand reaches out and he grabs Jasper's shoulder. Jasper wheels around just in time to grab Emmett before he stumbles backwards, eyes blank.

She blinks, looking...not amused, but aware. She knows what's wrong with him.

"Did it again," she mutters to herself. Edward stares at her with round eyes.

Suddenly she straightens up, her eyes gazing past us, big and fearful.

"_Shit_!" She hisses, and she runs, diving under people's arms to get away. Edward's head whips around, and we see what they see.

Demetri is making his way through the drowsy crowds, his contacted eyes sharp and locked on target.

He doesn't pay us any mind. He veers to the left, in the diretcion Phoenix is running. Before she can throw herself into the women's restroom, his arm snakes round her waist and he lifts her up effortlessly, blocking her escape.

"Demetri!" She yells, struggling. "Fuck you let me go!" Her eyes rove wildly around the room, searching for something. I don't need Jasper's gift to sense her desperate panic.

He drops her to her feet in front of him. She doesn't run – she knows it's pointless.

"Did you really think he wouldn't send me after you?" He sighs, looking stressed.

"A girl can hope," she spits bitterly.

"Demetri!" Carlisle calls, deciding enough is enough. Demetri looks up in surprise. He hadn't been expecting to see us.

He grabs Phoenix by her small shoulders and, ignoring her struggles, makes his way over to us.

**Phoenix POV**

The Cullen coven are staring at Demetri and I, wearing total tragedy masks. Their eyes are golden, like Eleazar's were. At least I can rest in assurance that they're not gonna try and eat me.

"Welcome," Demetri says curtly. Am I imagining the undercurrent of annoyance in his voice? "We didn't know you were arriving so...early."

Yup, defenitely annoyed. If I was in a better mood, I'd probably try and make this worse for him. However, crushed and traumatised as I am, I'm fighting the urge to curl up on the ground and scream.

"Our flight went without delay," Carlisle replies politely.

"We didn't know they were sending a welcoming party," another Cullen says, almost sharply. Demetri's eyes flash. The boy is only a teenager still. But he's tall, and in dire need of a haircut. There's a brunette girl hanging onto his arm, looking anxious.

Y'know something? If I wasn't so wound up, I'd be fucking _bored_. Can't they just kill Demetri already, so I can, y'know, leave?

Demetri's voice sharpens. "I was here for her," he says. "Not you."

But with a relenting sigh, he gestures towards the exit. "Come along. You can follow my car."

" How fucking nice of you," I mutter.

"Quiet, human. Do you know how frantic we've been?" Demetri demands as we start to walk away, the Cullens following uneasily.

I scoff. "Yeah, I'll bet you were all just perishing with worry in the entire half hour I wasn't chained to you." My temper rises. "You know what, Demetri? You fucking suck. You suck out loud. Why the fuck couldn't you have just let me _go_?"

"You're needed back home," Demetri replies, but the edge in his voice is softer.

I don't reply. I'm trying very very hard not to think what I might be needed _for_.

When we get outside, Demetri hails two cabs for the Cullens, then leads me to a sleek black Mustang. He straps me into the front seat. He slides into the driver's side and revvs the engine. Leaning out the tinted window, he waves the two cabs after him.

In a flash of a microsecond, he has his cell phone in his long white hand and his thumb is flashing over the buttons, dialling a number. He presses the device against his ear.

"Yes, I have her," he says as a voice on the other end buzzes. "No, she's fine, she didn't get very far-"

I scoff. I think getting all the way to the airport in a city that I don't know is pretty damn clever of me, but whatever. Let Demetri think what he does.

"The Cullens found her at the airport," Demetri says, sounding annoyed again. The buzz increases in volume. I can make out some of the words now. They're mostly my favourite swearwords.

"I know," Demetri says through tightly gritted teeth. "I'll be back in about ten minutes. They're following behind me. Oh, and before I forget, they have one of _those_ with them."

There's a yell, a hiss, and more questions. After a few more uninteresting responses, Demetri cuts off the call.

He drives at a leisurely pace with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the open window. The breeze ruffles my hair, so with a gentle tug, I pull it down from it's abstract ponytail. It falls around my shoulders, shrouding my face and protecting me from Demetri's harsh gaze.

"I'm sorry that I have to bring you back," Demetri says suddenly, snapping us both out of the heavy silence.

Whoa. Demetri did _not_ just say the words 'I'm sorry' to me. No fucking way. I am officially halucinating, ladies and gentlemen. That is the only explanation.

"Because you hate me, right?" I smile despite myself. This is just too bizzarre. "You want me gone as much as I do."

"No," Demetri says. "Well, yes. I do hate you," he amends. I roll my eyes. "But I digress...were I you, I wouldn't like to be in your position. I would probably run away too."

"This is a fucking lovely heart-to-heart we're having."

All I get in response is a grunt.

I sigh. We're nearing the castle. I recognise some of the buildings.

"Why _did_ you run?" Demetri asks a moment later.

I glance sideways at him. He's looking at me, his eyes genuinely curious. He doesn't know.

Well, why would he? I highly doubt Alec is gonna run around the castle going "Hey guys, guess what! I just forced my pet to suck me off, isn't that fucking neat!"

Wow. I sure hope not.

"Was it because of Benjamin?" Demetri presses.

I wince. The name stings. I find it difficult to believe that he only died a few hours ago. It seems like so much longer. I try to shake it off. "Partially."

Demetri sighs, shifting in his seat. He seems to be struggling with something.

"I'm going to tell you something," he declares finally. There's another pause.

"Yeah...?"

Demetri exhales loudly. "I had a human before."

I had actually forgotten that. Benjamin had told me, the first time we met. Annalise or Annie or some shit.

"Annabelle," he says. He speaks her name reverendly. "I only had her for a few months before..."

There's a brief, awkward pause. Demetri's glassy eyes shift uncomfortably, pretending to focus on the road. His lips and brow are set in an unhappy mask.

"Did you treat her well?" I ask quietly, after the silence and the impending onslaught of questions becomes too much to bear.

"I tried to," Demetri sighs, sounding sad. He runs a hand through his hair, gripping it hard. "I truly did...but she was so unhappy. She missed her lover and her family. I was too impatient with her. Too rash... She got better, she did. But there was something...her eyes haunted me. She seemed happy after a while, but her eyes were always, just, hollow."

He glances in the rearview mirror; the cabs are still tailing us. Demetri sighs deeply and places both hands on the wheel, swerving around a sudden curve in the road. Some loose stones pop beneath the sturdy tyres.

"Did you love her?" I ask.

Demetri struggles, rubbing his forehead in thought. "No," he decides eventually, his voice a hundred agonising years deep. "I...cared for her. I discovered that eventually. But no, I was not in love with her."

"Are you in love with Heidi?" I ask curiously.

This time, a small smile is permitted on Demetri's face. Well hot damn, tis a miracle. Aside from sarcastic ones, this is the first proper smile I've seen from him

"Yes," he replies. "I truly do. But..."

"But?" I prompt impatiently.

"Relationships amongst Guard members are not allowed," Demetri says somberly. "It would distract us from our work."

"But sex is okay?" I frown. You'd think it'd be the opposite way round.

"No," he smiles. "But there are some things even our Masters cannot control."

Then I realise something. "But Chelsea and Afton," I argue. "They're married."

"Yes, they are the single exception to the rule."

"How come?"

"It's not my story to tell," he says, sounding uncomfortable.

"Please?" I beg, half-heartedly. I don't have the will or the energy to argue.

Demetri sighs. "In return for something."

Uh oh... "What do you want?"

"I want you to behave during the duration of the Cullens' stay. No hyjinx, understand?"

Somehow he can't seem to sharpen his voice. I hold up my pinky.

Demetri casts a sideways glance at me, looking like he thinks I've lost my mind. Hell, maybe I have. Wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to me today.

I roll my tired eyes, exsasperated. Fucking creatures. Think they'd get with the damn times already.

"I promise, alright?" I say.

"Do I have your word?"

"Yeah yeah, Demetri, man. Whatever, alright?"

"Very well," Demetri sighs, deciding he ain't gonna get much better out of me. "I'll tell you.

"It was many hundreds of years ago, when there were only four of us in the Guard. Eleazar, a woman named Darla who was the first to leave once she found her mate, Chelsea, and myself.

"Chelsea had been a nurse in her human life, and was still fascinated my medics. The fishing duties were hers after Darla left, and sometimes she would go into hospitals, to lure away staff or even patients. She would go undercover as a human nurse, and this satisfied her curiosity of the medical world as well as her thirst. And she would leave the hopsital before the staff began to question the disappearences.

"One day, in a hospital in Athens, she came across a soldier lying in bed after sustaining a head injury at war. He was recovering, and would live. He wasn't planning on going back to war. His plan was to marry a woman he had proclaimed his love to back in his home town and settle down.

"However, the second Chelsea inhaled his scent, she had had to cover her face and leap out a window. She had never come across a scent more appealing, a scent sweeter or stronger than the one coming from this human.

"The man lying in his bed had seen the most beautiful woman he's ever come across in his whole life. He saw her move at unimaginable speed and leap from an impossible height. He couldn't believe his own eyes. He thought he was hallucinating.

"Chelsea returned home thoroughly shaken up. She went straight to Aro and asked him to read her thoughts. When he did, Aro was perplexed.

" 'How fascinating,' he mused.

"But the man had seen too much. It was within the law for him to die. But Aro was astonished by the call his blood had for Chelsea. He sent her back to the hospital.

" 'I do not wish him dead,' Aro insisted. 'This most strange bond fascinates me so. I wish to study it. However, the law is what it is. You must try and convince him that he imagined what he saw. However, if you cannot, you will bring him home to us.'

"So Chelsea went back, terrified by the call of the man's blood. She went as a nurse again, and they talked for a long time. She found out his name was Afton.

" 'You know, I had a dream about you last night,' Afton smiled.

" 'Did you?' Chelsea was immensely relieved. She had no wish to drag this man back to Volterra. To do this was as good as to kill him.

" 'Yes, I dreamed that you flew out that window,' he said. 'I was dreaming. Wasn't I?'

"She was unnerved by his intuition. 'Of course you were,' she replied. 'People don't fly.'

"They talked for a very long time, until Chelsea had to return home.

" 'You will come back again, won't you?' Afton asked, entranced by the beautiful, red-eyed woman.

" 'Of course,' Chelsea replied, smiling. 'I do work here after all.'

"In all truth, she had no intention of going back. The entire time she was with him, her throat burned with the most agonising thirst she'd ever felt. But Aro consulted with his brothers. Marcus felt a change in Chelsea, and they wanted to explore it further. They sent her back.

"She spent about three months at Afton's bedside, and as you can probably guess, they fell in love. But she was scared. She couldn't love a human. She couldn't sentance him to the life our family had been sentanced to, could she? Wouldn't he be revolted if he found out what she was?

" 'You can't love me,' she wept. 'You can't!'

" 'I can and I do,' he replied firmly. 'Do you not love me?'

" 'Of course I do,' she cried.

" 'Then what's the problem?' He frowned.

" 'I'm not like you,' she whispered, feeling for the very first time, shame over what she was.

" 'I know this already. I know you are not human. What human never eats or sleeps or has scarlet eyes? Certainly no human I've ever met.

" 'Then how can you still want me?' She gasped, shocked at his intuition. She had been so careful to disguise her true self.

" 'Love is strange,' he smiled. 'I can handle strange.'

" 'I drink the blood of humans like you. Now tell me you still love me,' she spat bitterly.

" 'I still love you,' Afton replied. He was shaken, of course, but he'd been psyching himself up to come to terms with her being since he met her.

"She was completely shocked, and so utterly happy. She told him the whole truth about herself, about us. After that he requested that he be taken to Volterra to be changed so he could be with her.

" 'I've never been to Italy before,' he mused. 'This should be interesting.'

"And interesting it was," Demetri chuckles.

"And they've been together ever since?" I ask, captivated.

"Yes," Demetri's smile is soft. "Marcus says he's never seen a mated bond as strong as Afton and Chelsea's. Only one other mated pair comes close. And they have the _same_ bond. Aro was astonished."

"What's the bond called?" I ask curiously.

"La Tua Cantante," Demetri replies.

When we pull up at the castle, Demetri doesn't drive into the garage. He parks in front of the castle and waves at the cabs to stop. The Cullens pile out, staring anxiously at Demetri and I. I barely notice them to be honest. I'm staring up at the castle.

Well whoop de fucking do. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Home Sweet Hell.

Demetri senses that I'm gonna make a run for it. He grabs my shoulder, holding me close to him. I struggle under his grasp, knowing what's awaiting me once I'm inside. A very pissed and possibly horny Owner.

The Cullens move quickly to join us, and Demetri's saying some shit to them, but I'm not listening. I can feel the colour begin to drain from my face. Oh shit. I hope I stay conscious, at least for a while. I'm really not in the mood to greet the floor with my face right now.

Demetri's hand on my shoulder serves to keep me upright as he guides the Cullens and I through familliar dark corridors. I can feel sweat breaking out across my palms. I clench my fists and my long nails bite into the flesh of my hands. I hope I bleed, then maybe someone will eat me and I'll get out of my reunion with Alec.

Ugh fuck. You know you've got it bad when you're longing for someone to _eat_ you. Jeez.

Demetri walks quickly and I end up having to jog to keep up, even though I'm feeling so fucking lazy right now that I want to whine for someone to carry me. But I doubt that's be received well and despite everything I don't really want Demetri to dangle me out a window (which he has threatened to do in the past).

Those big double doors seem like the Gates to Hell as Demetri sweeps through them with me in tow. The Cullens follow, uncertainty clear in their faces. I glance back at them, wondering what they're thinking.

And for the second time in one day, I'm swept into the feeding room, where everyone is gathered and waiting once more.

Aro is waiting, standing in front of his thrones, flanked by Caius and Marcus. Renata stands a little behind Aro, looking anxious. When her eyes fall on me, relief is evident on her face. Alec and Jane stand off to Caius's side. Alec's eyes are sharp, and I cringe under his gaze. I feel the most fucking freakyshit impulse to clamber up into Demetri's arms and have him protect me. But I have a feeling that Demetri would be more likely to _feed_ me to Alec rather than protect me from him.

Aro drifts forward with Renata following like his little shadow. Alec stays put, much to my relief. I can feel my heart quickening.

"Carlisle! How it pleases me to see you, my friend," Aro chirrups like a baby bird on prozac. Carlisle looks less than comfortable as he greets Aro. After a few pleasentries, Aro turns to me.

"Oh Phoenix," he sighs, sounding like a disappointed grandparent.

"Oh Aro," I sigh in response. Felix, standing right of Marcus, smirks at me.

"What are we going to do with you, child?" Aro grimaces. I seriously hope he's not actually _asking_ me what punishment I'd like. _Oh._ _Well gee, Sir, I'd really like a whipping today if you don't mind_. Ha. No.

Garfield's line, "Love me, feed me, never leave me," pops into my head, but I doubt now is the right time to say that to Aro. Because what person can take a joke at four in the fucking morning? No one, that's who.

Aro takes my hand without permission and I have to force myself not to yank it out of his grasp. When he's finished raping my memories, he just nods and asks Renata to take me upstairs to rest.

To my surprise, she takes me up to her room and not Alec's. She fetches me some of my things – my toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, pyjamas – and tells me she'll be back as soon as Aro allows her.

Standing in the silence for a moment, I revel in the fact that I'm alone. It feels good not to have anyone breathing down my neck.

I take my time getting ready for sleep. I brush my teeth twelve times over, but it still doesn't seem like enough. I rinse my mouth with water and mouthwash. I tug the brush through the tangles of my hair, tucking it behind my ears. I ajust the collar around my throat, feeling the grooves where it pressed into my skin for too long. Sliding into my nightclothes, I hear the door opening. I think Renata's back already.

"Renata?" I call. Jeez, my voice sounds terrible. Like someone scrubbed my voicebox with sandpaper. It hurts to talk. Holding my throat, I walk back into her comfortingly femenine bedroom.

It isn't Renata.

It's Alec.

"What are you doing in here?" He asks, sounding weary.

I take an unconscious step back. "Renata brought me up," I rasp, my voice giving way.

Alec nods, his eyes darker than earlier. "Come on. Let's go then."

I pause. Back to his bedroom? Surely, he's having a LOL with me. "Uh, no thanks."

"What?"

His voice is a little more forceful. I wince. "I want to stay here."

His eyes bore holes in me as he stares, thinking hard.

"Please just let me stay," I plead, my voice cracking. To my horror and disgust, I feel tears welling in my eyes.

There's another pause. Then, he sighs deeply.

"Just for one night then," he agrees. Then he drifts towards the door and leaves.

And I can breathe again.


	13. Sick

_Hold on,_

_Little girl,_

_The end, is soon,_

_To come..._

Before Demetri hauled my ass all the way back from the airport with the Cullens in tow, time went by so fast I never noticed it passing. But ever since my return, each second oozes by so slowly it feels nausiating.

Speaking of dear 'ole Metri, the second we got back, he reverted to his old bitchy ways. The dude's on a permenant period, I swear. But maybe I prefer it that way.

But no one else has been much better. Everyone's been totaly anal since the Cullens arrived. I don't see _why_. I mean c'mon, they're like fluffy fucking bunnies! With sharper teeth, I mean. Well, all except for the ridiculously tall dude with the dark skin. I feel kinda bad for the guy. I mean, he's gotta be sick to the high fucking heavens of people gawking at him like drooling morons because of his size. It happens a lot here. But I've got a feeling that's got to do with less of the fact that he's taller than two of me, and more to do with the fact that he's got a heartbeat. And is that bitty bit less than human.

He ain't the only one that gets stared at around here, I'll tell you _that_ now. The Cullens stare at me so much that I can still feel their stares when there's a great big door between us. Any time I walk (am yanked) into a room, I'm instantly aware of their gazes locking on target. It's fucking freaky shit, man. I'm kinda worried. They look like they havn't seen a human in a couple billion years. I hope they don't get too hungry.

Hunger seems to be a constant theme with me. Ever since...last week...I havn't been able to keep down my food for more than five minutes. Nothing seems to appeal to my appetite. Don't get me wrong, I _am_ pretty hungry, it just doesn't seem to register in my head.

Plus, my cooking skills suck out loud. I'm incapable of boiling water. I could set a stove on fire just by looking at it. What few non-fatal cooking experiments I conduct are the opposite of edible.

My mind seems to have gone into lapse. It took me cremating my toast to remember that it was Benjamin who did all the cooking for the both of us. He could make anything. He once made a huge cake on a whim (the farthest he let me assist him after constant pleading was letting me lick the bowl – which I was all too happy to do). After the memories started to flood back to me, I couldn't bear to be in the kitchen, let alone eat. Any time Alec sends me down for breakfast, I curl on the middle of the staircase and refuse to go any farther. Gianna has learned to sidestep me.

After a day or two, Alec seemed to realise that the kitchen was a no-go area. Instead he started ordering food up to the room for me, but I could never manage more than a mouthful of anything before having to dash to the bathroom to throw it back up again. All food tasted like cotton now – empty and unsatisfying.

On the seventh day, when I couldn't even bear the smell of the pasta dish he'd placed under my nose, I pushed it away, not willing to push my curling stomach.

"I'm not hungry," I say, holding my aching gut mournfully.

"Bullshit," Alec snaps suddenly, making me jump. "Eat the fucking food, Phoenix. Right now."

I close my eyes, breathing hard. I can't stand the fact that he has me submitting so easily to him now. Before, I'd brush off his empty threats with a laugh. But now that I know there are concequences for disobeying him, it makes it a whole lot harder to snap back. Even if I had the energy.

"Go fuck yourself," I mutter, as daringly as I can manage. My eyes are fixated below the plate – I can't look him in the face.

I've been avoiding his eyes all week. They hold so much more than sex and adrenaline for me now. They hold death and defilement. The most I get is a red flash when my own eyes dart past his face. It drives him insane.

He growls, and out of the corner of my eye I see his fists clench.

"_Fine_," he hisses furiously, seizing the edges of the plate in both hands and flinging it to the ground.

The sound of the porcelain smashing makes my tired heart race. The food spatters all over his floorboards but he doesn't seem to notice, or give much of a shit. He steps over the mess of pasta and white shards, stalking towards me, and my fists clutch the fabric of my loose, soft top. It's a size too big for me and usually I use it for sleeping. It hangs off one of my shoulders because the collar is so wide. But it's comfortable, and the soft fabric soothes me.

"Starve yourself then," Alec rages. "See if I give a shit."

_Don't hit him don't hit him don't hit him_.

"Fine," I say, as calmly as I can.

After a few deep breaths, his fists unclench and his eyes close. His head drops a little as his shoulders slump. His offensive position relaxes. When he looks up at me again, his face is cleared of the anger.

He walks around the bed, on which I am sitting with my knees tucked against my chest. He stops when he's beside me, and holds out his hand. "Come with me," he says gently. Well, gently for _him_.

His voice might be soft and non-aggressive, but I can't deny the fact that it's an order. Because I'm sick of the yelling, and because there's fuck all other choice, I place my hand in his.

He leads me to the bathroom, where he places me in front of the mirror and switches the light on.

"Look," he says.

I blink. There's me, little and insignificant, and him, glorious and godlike and despisable.

"I see you've finally found the mirror, Alec. This must me a monumentous day for you."

He gives a ragged sigh of frustration. "Look at _yourself_."

I do. Yup, there I am. At first glance I look the same. Same face, spattered black with bruises that haven't even started healing yet. Same eyes, same slender neck and shoulders with the same tumble of black hair. Same breasts and waist and hips.

Alec waits patiently for the eureka moment.

I look closer, trying to see what he sees. I see, and start in shock.

My face is pale and gaunt. My cheeks are slimmer, emphasising my cheekbones. My eyes are ringed by dark circles. My lips are much paler than usual. My face is framed by lank hair that hangs limply. My jaw and throat both above and below my collar are covered in bruises that look far more intense – and far more like finger and handprints - than before. My collarbones are more pronounced than before, and somehow, my breasts seem just a little smaller.

Alec lifts my top slowly, so as not to startle me, and he raises it just below my nondescript black bra. I inhale sharply.

My stomach has been hollowed out, an empty cavern. My hipbones are visible, and the space between them is completely flat. I can see the lowest part of my ribcage, and it alarms me how descernable my ribs are.

The horrified girl in the mirror stares back at me. Her eyes seem like the only part of her that's still alive – filled with hurt and anguish and pain. Those hazel orbs are far too haunting to look at. I drop my gaze.

"It's only been a week," Alec's voice is quiet, somber. He lets my top fall back down my waist, but his hands stay resting lightly on my ribs. "Imagine what will happen in two weeks, in three, if you keep starving yourself this way."

My eyes glaze, as a lump of unshed tears settles in my dry throat. I swallow harshly, willing them away. I've become an expert at keeping tears at bay.

"I can't eat, though," my voice cracks, fluctuating dangerously. The tears advance.

"Try," Alec demands. "You're slipping away. Before my eyes, you're wasting away. But I can't do shit to help you unless you help yourself."

I snort, ducking my head. Is this shit a practiced speech, or what?

"You're loosing yourself," he continues, quieter. "You're so reserved, so...quiet. You never talk back anymore. You won't even speak unless spoken to. Whenever anyone brushes off you, you flinch like it physically hurts you. You've lost your spark."

Should it make me happy that he sounds saddened by that?

"And who's fault is that?" I say bitterly, stepping determindely out of his grip. He looks staggered. "Isn't this what you wanted? _Owner_? A mindlessly obedient little Pet that keeps her mouth shut and bends to your every whim? Congratulations, Alec. You got what you wanted. As fucking always."

I stalk out of the bathroom and slide under the covers of the bed, pulling them up over my head and wrapping around myself, trying real fucking hard to dissappear.

_I want to go home_.

Those five words spring forth from the depths of my mind that I thought I'd trapped them in.

_Suck it the fuck up, Nyx. Home doesn't exist any more_.

Two tears spurt from my eyes when I realise that this is true. My home was with my family, and my family is dead.

Well, the family that counts, anyway.

As I try hard to stifle my persistant tears, I hear Alec's soft footfalls as he re-enters his bedroom. He pauses, totally silent.

Then he says something, but it's so quiet and so unlikely that I think I must be imagining it.

"_I never wanted you like this_."

I think I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know Alec is talking to someone who's hovering outside the door. Two someones.

The covers have been ajusted around me, taken away from my head and tucked warmly around my body. I lay back, not giving a shit what Alec is talking about, even though I hear my own name several times.

"Phoenix?"

I ignore Alec, wriggling down further into my small nest.

"Come along, child," my eyes snap open when Chelsea's slender arms slide under my back and force me to sit up. My vision wavers a little. "There's someone who'd like a word with you."

Ungh shit. This couldn't possibly be good.

But Chelsea's 'helping' me out of bed before I can protest. Alec and Felix watch from the doorway as I stumble dizzily. Chelsea grabs my arm.

"I'm fine," I mumble, shutting my eyes tight and moving my head from side to side, trying to shake off the dizzy spell. When I open my eyes again, Alec is supporting my other arm.

"Aro's waiting with him," Felix insists.

Alec goes to sweep me up, but I place a resistant hand against his chest. "I'll walk," I say fiercely. After an exchanged glance with Chelsea, Alec complies.

Chelsea sweeps in front of us, setting a rapid pace. Felix and Alec walk either side of me down the long corridors.

They're talking, but their words don't reach my ears. I feel a little lightheaded. Just a bit, but it's enough to slow me down. Eventually Felix grows impatient, big fool that he is, and decides to tow me along. I spend the rest of the trip to Aro's office skipping and staggering over my own feet.

I think I'm getting some fucking flu or something. Fucking hell, it seems like just yesterday when I was getting rid of my last one! My life could not bite harder.

Chelsea and Alec stride into Aro's office without a second thought, but Felix holds me back outside.

"Listen, little Nyx. Best behavior, okay?"

"Sure sure," I mumble. Fuck. I feel like I'm on a drug trip gone wrong (wait...do drug trips ever go _right_? Interesting...).

Felix turns away, listening like a nosy little fuck to whatever's being said inside. Then he glances down at me.

"Shit, are you feeling okay?" He frowns.

I wave my fingers weakly next to my temple, my eyes closed and brow furrowed. "I feel a little..."

The world shifts around me. Before I hit the floor, strong arms grab me. Then, carefully, I'm layed down.

Layed down to die.

**vVv**

"She's dangerously dehydrated," a silken voice mumbles. "I've put her on a drip. When she wakes up, we'll try getting some proper fluids into her. Alec, you say she hasn't been eating?"

"She can't keep anything down. For at least a week she hasn't had anything at all."

"Does she drink a lot?"

"Sometimes. Nothing today, as far as I know."

"Has she shown any signs of illness in the past week?"

There's a pause. I revel in the silence.

"No."

There's another pause, followed by some indecipherable murmuring. My head throbs.

"You say she's possibly gifted?"

"Perhaps."

"Has it showed any signs of manifestation so far?"

"Once."

"Twice," I recognise Aro's voice. "Your son, Emmett, was subjected to it at the airport, I believe."

More murmuring. I give up on trying to listen. Christ. You'd think they'd be considerate enough to speak louder and enunciate for the less-than-conscious people.

"Interesting," Carlisle murmured.

"Is her heart picking up?" Alec's voice says suddenly. God, even his voice is sexual. I hate him so much ot hurts.

There's silence, and I know I'd be rolling my eyes if they were open. Eavesdropping on my heart. Shame on them.

"Yes," Carlisle says. I feel the tickle of cold breath as he leans over me. "Phoenix?" Can you hear me?"

Yes I fricking well can. You're talking real fucking loud, man, right in my ear. How could I not?

I feel coldness as Aro presses his palm against my forehead, reading my thoughts. "She's regaining consciousness," he announces, a shred of humor in his voice. Oh ha-ha. Laughing at the unconscious person. How very mature.

Cold fingertips touch my neck, taking my pulse. Ugh. _Enough with the ER shit already! Why can't they let me sleep?_

Suddenly, there's light. Real bright light, right in my eyes. Someone cups my cheek.

"Come on, Phoenix, wake up," Carlisle urges. Ugh! What the fuck with the touching and the prodding and the bright bright light right in my fucking eyes? _Ouchlike_.

I fucking hate Doctors, man. You can never tell if they're doing their jobs or just copping a feel.

I manage to squeeze my eyes shut even tighter, trying to block out the painfully beaming light. My head hurts too much for that shit.

"Come on," Carlisle prompts me.

"G'way," I mumble, trying to turn my head away, my voice bordering on a whine. There's a snort from nearby.

"Open your eyes, Phoenix," Carlisle orders gently.

And because I'd like very much for him to shut the fuck up, I force my eyelids open. They flutter dramatically, watering heavily because of the slim torch that is dangerously close to being shoved right up my nose.

"Phoenix? Are you awake?"

"Nope, I'm faking it," I mumble, reaching up to wipe my eyes and having a mini heart attack when I think _shit, my makeup!_ Then have that _doi!_ moment of realisation when I remembered I hadn't bothered to wear any makeup at all, in a week.

Aro chuckles at my weak comment. "I think she'll be just fine."

Carlisle's voice is serious as he straightens up from his leaning position above me. "Aro, she's severely undernourished."

Aro sounds baffled. "But Carlisle, it has only been a week!"

"A week without food in her system and very little hydration. She's small for her age, and at the peak of adolescence. She needs a balanced diet and-"

And I'm suddenly so uninterested that I can't bear to keep my eyes open any more. I've never really been bothered with eating right. I eat when I'm hungry. The end. And my diet has been the opposite of balanced since I was ejected into Volterra. I remember that for five days straight, Benjamin and I had nothing but cake for breakfast...

I feel a painful pressure in my chest. Even though I know it's my own imagination, my own subconsuious reacting to the memories and the name, my hand still flutters up to touch my chest, trying to ease the pain. Aro pats my hand soothingly.

I try to focus on what Carlisle is saying. Some shit about my blood tests. Jeez. I hope he doesn't make Aro hungry.

Though right now, a little 'hydration' sure wouldn't go astray. I wonder if the good Doc has any vodka handy? Strictly medicinal, of course.

There's a pause in Carlisle's conversational flow. I wonder if Aro was ever really listening.

"Aro, I wonder, if I might speak to Phoenix alone?"

There's a sharp hiss of protest from across the room. I open my eyes long enough to see Aro's brow furrow. The seconds tick by.

"Very well," Aro decides after a moment.

"Master!" Alec protests, appearing beside my bed. My eyes don't need to be open to see the fierce death stare Carlisle is on the receiving end of. I swallow deeply, acually worried for the Doc. If he slept, I'd worry that he;d wake up without hands or feet. I bet that'd limit his medicinal practices!

"Hush, child. There is nothing to fear. Come along. We shall get something to eat."

Aro's hand slips from mine and my lidded eyes follow him as he gently, but firmly, guides Alec from the room.

_Thank fuck._

Carlisle doesn't say anything at first. He injects some shit into my drippy bag that perks me up a notch, and then helps me re-arrange my pillows so I can sit up.

I see the room for the first time, and blink in confusion. It looks like a hospital ward, complete with the railed beds with mattresses that could double as slabs of concrete.

"Where am I?" I blink, perplexed.

"In the castle's infirmary," Carlisle answers, his eyes skimming over some charts.

That seems a tad bit weird. "I thought, uh...you people...don't get sick," I point out.

"We don't," Carlisle smiles as my obvious discomfort with the term. "But we can get hurt. Sometimes it's just easier to have one place to keep everyone, to store the medical equiptment."

"Is it Chelsea's?" I ask, curious.

"I believe so," Carlisle replies. "She was the one who took us down here."

I sigh deeply, prodding the needle stuck in my hand. Carlisle pries my hand away gently, with a soft warning not to interfere with the drip. I ignore him, poking the place where the needle is sticking out of my hand. It's all wrapped in a bandage. Carlisle decides it's pointless trying to tell me what to do and simply tapes it up tighter.

"How long have you been here?" Carlisle asks after a while. I sigh. Roll on the questionnaire.

"Bout a month," I reply. Then I frown. "Or...or more than a month. I-I'm not sure..."

"And you're the only human here?"

Ouch. "Uh, yeah."

Carlisle nods. He perches on the bottom edge of the bed, being careful to keep his distance. I appreciate it.

"Well, I mean, except for that annoying secretary. But they might be eating her soon anyway," I babble mindlessly, hoping Carlisle will realise that he's pushing the wrong buttons. If he _does_ realise, he sure as hell don't care.

"Has it always been so?"

Fucker.

"Yeah," I lie. Carlisle looks up to something else I'm attatched to. A heart moniter, which has sped up.

Well shit on a stick. I'm hooked up to a virtual lie detector.

"Well, not really," I admit, fiddling with the pale blue sheet that's covering my legs. "There was another one."

"And who did the other one belong to?" Carlisle asks, his voice lulling, reassuring. So, he knows about the 'Pet' keeping situation.

"Jane," I reply, swallowing back the lump of violent, burning hate in my throat when I spit her name. My reaction is easy to read.

"And he," Carlisle makes the obvious leap. "Is no longer here?"

"Well done," I say bitterly, averting my eyes. I know they're watering again.

"What happened?" Carlisle asks, his voice and honey eyes oozing reassurance and comfort. My eyes leak before I can stop them.

It just took those two tiny words. The assurance and care in his tone was all too much. I'd been trapped with monsters for far too long.

"He died." Ugh shit, my voice is tragic. All croaky and pitiful. I bite down violently on my bottom lip, which is trembling precariously. Carlisle doesn't comment, he just waits for me to continue.

"Alec killed him," I whisper, suddenly unable to contain my barely-coherent half-sobbed words.

"Benjamin kind of took care of me, y'know? L-Like he did the cooking and stuff. Coz any time I even thought about trying to cook it was a total disaster. A-And he'd been here long enough to know the ropes and kept me out of trouble. And he knew w-what it was like, to be someone else's property. Though I s-suppose he h-had it worse off than be because, y'know, Jane's a fucking psycho a-and all that shit. S-So they took us both down to the big hall and Jane took off his collar and Alec-" I have to backtrack, swallowing back violent sobs and mopping furiously at my eyes. I skipped over the whole kissing details, because to be quite frank they're too fucking painful to relive. I wipe my nose, knowing how unattractive it must seem to this Godlike creature but not giving the slightest shit.

"Afterwards Renata took me upstairs and when Alec came back he was really angry at me," I have to scoop fistfuls of dark hair out of my face, feeling my chest heaving. "H-He...he made..." My voice cuts off as my air does, and I touch my throat, closing my eyes and trying to breathe. Carlisle knows what's happening before I do, and he pressed something to my face. It's not my inhaler. It's an oxygen mask.

"I can guess," Carlisle sighs soberly. His eyes are lingering on the dark bruises along my jaw and face.

After a few deep breaths I push the mask away stubbornly.

"Athsma is a dangerous condition to have, especially in a place like this," he says gravely. "How severe is it?"

"Not very," I gulp, feeling pathetic. "I only get attacks in connection to anxiety."

"Like panic attacks," Carlisle muses, his Doctor persona snapping back into place.

"Guess so," I mutter, not that interested.

"Do you have an inhaler?"

"Yeah, but it's pretty old."

"How old?"

"I dunno," I reply, trying to even out my frustration. " 'Bout...six years?"

"I'll prescribe you a new one," Carlisle promises.

"Great," I say sarcastically. "Write me up a nice official prescription and I'll toddle on down to Volterra's local chemist."

Carlisle's grin is wry. "I'll get one for you."

I sigh. "Thanks." Damn it. Why does he have to be a nice person? I hate shades of grey. Black and white do me fine.

"And I assume Benjamin died a week ago?"

I nod, realising that it's a week ago today. Nausia hits like a train. "The same day you guys arrived."

"You were running away, when we found you at the airport?"

I nod mournfully, realising that if I hadn't run into them, I'd probably be back in America right now.

"You must hate us for deterring you."

I stare at Carlisle in utter disbelief. Is he seriously acting all guilty right now? His face displays nothing but earnesty and sadness.

"Yes," I say, as fiercely as I can manage. Which, turns out, isn't that fierce at all. God, Alec was right. I really have lost everything.

I find myself relenting. "Well...not really. I guess that, even if I had got away like I'd planned, Demetri would have tracked me down by now."

"Probably," Carlisle's wry smile fades into an expression of seriousness. "Phoenix," he says solemnly. "I'm going to show you something."

I had to fight a giggle, remembering about how once, my friend Anthony had decided to freak me out before my Doctor's appointment by emailing me a porno clip of a Doctor-on-Patient situation. I laughed so hard I started to cry and my Grandma thought I was in pain.

"Okay," I respond, trying to keep my expression serious and _not_ have thoughts of what could be done with that stethescope.

Being serious becomes a whole fucking lot easier once Carlisle pulls something out of his pocket.

It's folded up real small. It's the front page of a newspaper – the New York Times – and at the top of the page is an enormous, badly blown-up photo of me.

"What the fuck?" I whisper, while Carlisle passes me the page.

I focus on the picture first. It was taken by my camera-friend, Joseph, last summer. I had been in the local park with a little group of friends. Joseph had been running riot with his camera all day, but none of us cared that much. The sun had been setting and the park was filled with an orange-y hue.

It was a good picture, I suppose. I'm gripping onto the round-about, looking back over my shoulder at him, laughing when I realise I've been ambushed into a photo-op.

I think of how I looked earlier on, in the mirror. I look at my own photo. The girl in the paper is lightly tanned and healthy, a happy-looking regular kid.

The girl in the mirror is a pale, drained, withering person who's been forced to grow up into reality far too fast.

The difference between these girls is phenomenal.

Carlisle is silent as he lets me read over the article. When I get to the bottom, I'm horrified.

**Fifteen Year Old On The Run From Social Services**

_Fifteen year old Phoenix Anne Miller has been declared missing after a week-long search. The teen ran from her home town last Tuesday after Social Services attempted to take her into the custody prior to the death of her grandmother (Sophia Louise Miller, 62), her legal guardian._

_Phoenix had been taken into the care of her grandmother at the age of eight after her mother died from a drug overdose. Having no other relatives, the girl was due to be taken into Foster care. When the Police arrived at her grandmother's house to escort her to her Foster Home, the girl pulled out a small pistol on them. The police were unable to diffuse the situation and the girl fired, hitting one of the officers (Det. Marc Bronson) in the torso. Bronson was taken to hospital, where he was later declared dead._

_Several witnesses saw a young woman matching Phoenix's description running in the direction of the airport. Police are currently trying to pull her flight information._

_If anyone has information on the missing girl, please contact your local police station. Do not approach the girl, as she has been declared armed and dangerous._

There are several beats of silence and a lot of things hit me at once.

My life story is spilled out in a tasteless tabloid for the world to see. Yeah, sure, my mom did die from an overdose all those millions of years ago, but they didn't even _mention_ my stepdad. Actually, I doubt they even know about him. The fucker.

By now, everyone in America knows who I am and what I look like. They're looking for me. Soon enough they'll find the letter my Grandma left me, telling me about how she had made arrangements with an old friend of hers in Italy for me to stay with until I was old enough to make my way on my own. Soon they'll get my flight information and wind up in Volterra looking for me, which can only end in their own deaths.

The officer I shot _died_.

The memories of that day flash behind my eyes, as clear as anything.

_Okay, maybe if I lock all the doors and windows and turn off the lights, they'll forget about me. I mean c'mon, how much can they care about some rogue little kid? They'll give up on me eventually. I've just gotta lay low for a while. The money Grandma left me in her safety deposit box can get me to Italy once the buzz has died. No worries._

_Right?_

_There's a bang outside – the sound of a garbage can being knocked over – and I jump a fucking mile high. I clamp my hands over my mouth to supress a scream. Shit. Oh shit. I need my inhaler. The little bitch is downstairs. Is it worth running past all those windows without curtains, where the neighbours can see I'm still here?_

_I'll have to get it anyway. I need to start packing a bag. I have to be gone by tomorrow afternoon before the people come to empty out the house._

_My heart is thumping faster and faster as I seize my large shoulder bag and start dumping things into it. No time to worry about clothes and shit. I can get more in Italy._

_I start grabbing the most ridiculous things and tipping them into the bag, not thinking clearly. It's hard to believe it was only yesterday afternoon. It still hasn't hit yet. She always seemed so...strong. Did that change without me noticing?_

_Right. No more stalling. I have to go downstairs._

_My own house seems alien in the dark as I slink down the stairs. It's pitch black, and I can't see a thing. Cautiously feeling my way into the kitchen, I fumble in the cupboard for my inhaler. When I feel the smooth plastic beneath my fingers, I hiss in triumph._

_Ducking back into the living room and heading for the stairs, I spot something. It's my grandma's favourite photo of us, sitting idly on the mantle._

_I walk slowly towards it in the weighted silence, breathing hard. With an outstretched hand, I take it. I touch the cold silver frame, feeling an ache of grief in my lower belly. My grandma's soft smile looks back at me, her powdered cheeks dimpled, her silver curls flowing relentlessly over her shoulders._

_It hurts so fucking much to think that I'll never see her again. She's gone, and she isn't coming back. And it hurts so much._

_Red and blue riquochays off the silver frame and blinds me. Whirling around, I see lights beaming in through the living room window._

_Shit._

_It's a cop car._

_Adrenaline pounds heavily through my veins, and I shoot back upstairs. I throw the frame and my inhaler into the bag and zip it up, swearing furiously when the zip catches._

_I hear voices outside. _

"_The door's locked."_

"_So? Just bust the fucker down. It's the landlord's problem now, not ours."_

"_Neighbours say they saw the girl?"_

"_Yeah, just earlier on. My bet is she's still here."_

_I hear a deafening bang as they pound on my Grandma's front door. I hear glass smashing as the small oval window in the door is broken._

"_Fuck, oh fuck," I choke, swallowing tears of fright as I wrench the zip into place. Flight shit, money, yeah I've got them. Just one more thing._

_Hauling the heavy bag off my bed and throwing my bedroom one last glance, I race to my Grandma's room._

_I haven't been in here since she died, but somehow I don't think she'll care that I'm bursting in uninvited._

_Not now._

_I drop to my belly, reaching under the bed, clawing desperately. My fingers search and search, and I hear the front door giving way._

_They're in._

"_Phoenix Miller?" One of them calls. I hear them searching downstairs, pulling out furniture and doors, looking for me._

_My fingers touch the small wooden box. I drag it out and dump it on the bed, wrenching the top back. The rusty hinges on the box protest, giving an obnoxious creak. I freeze._

_So do they._

_It's a small enough house. They finish the downstairs sweep in record time. I hear the stairs groan as they jog upstairs._

_I take the pistol in my hands. It's small, but surprisingly heavy. Grandma got it a few years back when there was a string of break-ins in our neighbourhood. We've never used it._

_Yet._

_I pop the barrel out. Fucking fucking HELL! There are no bullets inside. I scrape some of the small little things that are rolling around the bottom of the box into my hand. I press them into the barrel, one by one._

_Two, three..._

_I hear them enter my bedroom, opening my closet and searching beneath my bed._

"_Not here," one confirms._

"_Check the grandmother's room."_

_Four, five..._

_They trump along the carpeted hallway in their heavy boots. One of them puches the door open._

_Six._

_I shove the barrel into place and snap the safety back, springing to my feet as the two of them enter the bedroom._

"_Whoa," one says, shocked. He holds his hands up in defense, and the other one narrows his eyes._

"_Get the fuck back," I spit, holding the gun in one hand and hauling the bag back over my shoulder with the other._

"_Easy, easy," one of them says. "We aren't going to hurt you."_

_I'm startled by the laugh that bursts through my lips. It echos humorlessness and hysteria through the black house._

"_Put it down," he coaxes._

"_Go fuck yourself," I snap. Despite my threats, they enter the bedroom further._

"_We just want to take you someplace safe," the other one says, edging towards me._

_Safe. Right._

_I recall the horror stories my stepdad used to tell me about Foster Homes. The neglect and degrading nature of the places and the people. The screaming younger children and vicious older ones. The punishments, some so extreme I used to call him out on making them up. He always swore they were true. He'd been through it all._

"_If you tell tales on me, that's where you'll end up, little Nyxie," he crooned, stroking my hair as his other hand trailed down my curveless, childish, unendowed body._

_He told me these things, to make it seem like what he did to me wasn't that bad. I believed him._

"_Easy," one of the cops says quietly._

"_Back the FUCK off!" I yell, feeling antagonised._

"_Just grab the bitch," one of them murmurs to the other, thinking I won't here. "She's bluffing."_

_The other one doesn't look convinced. He watches as his partner makes his way forward._

_My hands are drenched with clammy sweat. The gun slips in my grasp._

"_Come here, little girl," he says._

_There's a bang that's so loud it knocks me on my back. I'm not the only one._

_I look up to see the officer stagger backwards, his eyes wide and terrified. His hand cups his stomach, and a dark liquid seeps through his fingers. He sags weakly against the wardrobe and slumps to the floor._

_His partner yells as I wrench the window open, clamber to the windowsill, and jump, the gun hot and heavy in my hand._

I feel a cold arm wrap awkwardly around my shoulders. I sob relentlessly into my hands, the page crumpled and wet on my lap.

**Alec POV**

Carlisle leaves her eventually. He looks exhausted.

"You can see her now," he says wearily. As I go to enter the infirmary, he passes something to me.

"Don't let her know you have this," Carlisle advises. "In fact, once you're done with it, burn it."

And he leaves.

Phoenix is asleep, curled on her side, her dark hair falling over her face. I push it carefully behind her ear, my fingers ghosting over her bruises. She sighs, but doesn't wake. Her little hands are fisted.

I unfurl the paper Carlisle gave me, and am greeted by a picture of a girl. She's young and happy and full of life. Her hazel eyes glow with laughter and her smile is beautiful.

I look at Phoenix in front of me, pale and sick.

They are so different.

**Drama drama drama. WAS planning on writing an uplifting chapter to ease the angst, but found out yesterday that my brother is marrying his skanky girlfriend who I HATE! With PASSION! And so I'm not in the best mood. I threatened to turn up drunk to the ceremony and he just laughed and said "Wouldn't be the same if you didn't, sis." Gosh, my brother is a moron. Sometimes I'm ashamed to call him my twin. I wouldn't be surprised if his girlfriend was "accidentally" mowed down with a truck soon. "Accidentally."**


	14. Everybody Wants Something From ME

_I want you to abuse me,_

_Use me,_

_Shut up and do me,_

_Coz everybody wants, somethin' from me..._

Throughout the next week, Alec is unspeakably...nice.

Well, nice for _him_. He still orders me around like a little dog and always has a bitingly sarcastic comment stored, just in case. But that's just in his nature, so I don't complain. At least he's careful when he hauls me around the place.

He's been so attentive, too, never failing to give me what I need. He doesn't try to force food on me any more, but he always places it in front of me and hovers until I've at least eaten a little. He always makes sure I carry a thermos of water with me and if I ever happen to 'accidentally' leave it in the room, he throws me over his back and races back for it in double-quick time. I'm never without entertainment, either. He always has something to keep my mind occupied. The rare times he isn't attatched to me, I have constant company. Usually in the form of Renata, seeing as she's the least likely to fool around with me. I'm still run-down on energy and even one hyper, playful monster isn't something that's easily dealt with. But other times Santiago or Corin or even Felix take over the babysitting duties.

Alec's attitude has fizzled down to a minimum. It's actually frightening. At times, he's so gentle I have to check that it's actually him and not someone else in disguise. The rare times I see temper flash in his eyes, it disappears scarily quickly.

To be quite honest, it freaks me the fuck out.

"Are you on your period or something?" I demand when Alec produces a set of keys from his pocket. Car keys, no less. "Are you Alec and Jane's nice triplet that nobody knew about? Because no way in fucking hell would Alec ever ever _ever_ let me drive his car."

"Heavens forfend," Alec places a hand over his silent heart, cupping the keys to his chest. "Do you think my fragile nature could ever stand up to you – disaterous as you are - behind the wheel of my baby? No way. These are Demetri's keys."

And I can't stop the demonic grin that stretches across my face. Because I know that not in a million years would Demetri _ever_ give Alec his keys...voluntarily.

"What did you do to him?" I ask, before gulping back one of the maaaaaaaaany vitamin pills that Carlisle demanded I take every single day. I _had_ planned to tip them all out the window, but Alec took them from me and has stuck to a rigid schedual of forcing them upon me. No whines, lip trembles and fake tears get me out of taking them.

"Nothing," Alec chuckles. "He offered."

I stop and stare at him in disbelief. I knew it. The real Demetri and Alec have been kidnapped by aliens and these are freakazoid replacements like in some crappy Sci-Fi movie. Is Aro gonna start singing show tunes? Is Caius gonna dress up in a leotard and prance around with flowers braided through his hair? Is Marcus gonna make an expression?

Gosh, this is too much.

Alec's grin widens upon my horrified expression. I'm sure he thinks that it's due to Demetri's charity – and it is, partially – but mostly it's due to the traumatising image of Caius in a leotard.

Oh, my innocent young mind.

"He wants you out of his hair, out of the castle, preferably, at any cost. He says he can buy a new car if need be," Alec smirks, tossing me the keys. I catch them in cuppy hands.

It's true, whenever I'm worn out by everyone pouncing on me (metaphorically, of course. As if Alec would allow them to do something so unorthadox) and driving me up the wall, I'll go and huddle up to Demetri, because he's the only one who's perfectly happy to ignore me. Once or twice I tried sprawling across his lap to irk him. Once or twice he's tipped me off onto the floor. But once, Aro glided unexpectedly into the room to 'check on everyone', mostly because Felix and Santiago got into a brawling match the day before and he wanted to be sure that nothing of the sort was happening again. Let's just say, limbs were thrown out windows. The end. Aro spotted me splayed across his Tracker's lap and smiled.

"Aah," he cooed. "It's lovely to see you two getting along for once!" He blatantly ignored the poorly-concealed splutters and snickers, and Corin nearly toppling off the coffee table she had been perched on, her long legs crossed.

It's lucky that Aro hadn't come in a split second later, because he would have been witness to Demetri clipping me onto the floor. Demetri and I bore sickly grins.

And so I don't protest when Alec decides he's going to give me a driving lesson.

Chriiiiiist. I'd better get a crash helmet.

I'm the kind of person that knows my own limits. And I know for a complete down-to-earth _fact_, that I cannot drive. It took me a whole year to learn how to ride a _bike_, for fuck sakes.

Still, it's not as if Alec's gonna let me do a nosedive through the window. I hope. I think.

"Don't worry, I won't let you die," Alec promises, snickering to himself. Which is _not_ the same as promising not to let me do a nosedive through the window, but I'll take whatever the fuck I can get.

"Show me what you know," Alec says once we've both been thoroughly strapped in. The way he was acting, I'm surprised he hasn't smothered us both in bubble wrap.

I make a show of easing the keys into the ignition, twisting them until the enjine reacts, and looking back at Alec. He blinks at me.

"That's...all?" He says after a few moments. He looks horrified.

I push heavily on the horn for a long second, making him flinch.

"I can do that, too," I say.

Alec rubs the back of his neck in a very human gesture. "Well, good," he says. "You keep doing that. That way, other cars will know to keep the fuck out of the way."

I can tell he's preparing his patience, giving himself an internal forewarning that this is going to be one _long ass_ day.

"Right, lets reverse out," he says, physically cringing when I place both hands on the wheel.

_This_ could be fun.

"Let's," I say gleefully. "Okay. Which is the accelorator?"

"Right pedal," Alec says, already looking nervous. His nervous expression turns to one of outright exsasperation when I stomp on it hard and send the enjine roaring, a wide smile on my face.

"Come on," Alec says, grimacing. He reels out the names of a few pully-stompy bits. But I'm too buzzed to take any of it in. I'm driving a frickin car! _Demetri's_ frickin car! This is actually awesome. I'm sure Demetri's already regretting his decision; I'll bet he can hear my repeditive enjine revvs.

"Back out then," Alec's voice breaks through my happy stupor.

"Oh, uh..." I bite my lip. Whoops. Okay, what did he just say? Handbrake, that's it. Staring with my brow furrowed in concentration, I work what, I _assume_, is the handbrake.

I take the fact that Alec's expression is slightly less anguished as a sign that I'm doing good.

Right. Next thing.

I pause, my eyes roving over the dash.

Oh c'mon! Who was the one that protested when my guy friends pointed out that I only bought car manuals to stare at the pictures? _I_ was! I must have learned _something_ by reading all those long senantces filled with big words that made no sense at all...

"Gearshift," Alec reminds me quietly, trying very obviously not to cringe.

"I know!" I say crossly, taking the handle-y thing in my hand and wrenching it towards the 'R', which I guess means 'reverse.' Alec relaxes slightly.

"Okay," I breathe, revelling in my little successes. Feeling cocky, I decide it's time to drive.

Pushing down hard on the accelorator, the car shoots backwards. I manage to wrench the steering wheel around, narrowly avoiding Afton's Merc.

"_Brake_!" Alec roars.

Oh yeah.

My foot slams down on the middle pedal, and the car jolts violently.

Alec's mouth is open, staring a me in total disbelief. When I steal a glance at his face, my wicked grin drops.

"We're out," I announce.

"So I see!" He's obviously battling with his temper right now. I doubt now would be the right time to suggest anger management classes? Though I've never really seen the _point_ in anger management classes to be honest. Sitting in a tight little circle with lots of other angry people would only make me _more_ angry, more so than anything else.

Alec has a haha-oh-shit-I-cannot-believe-I'm-about-to-do-this look on his face as he presses a button inside the car. The garage door begins to open.

"Let's go then," he says. "Put in in first gear."

First gear? Nah, first gear's fuck boring. I shove the gearshift up to fourth, stomp on the accelerator, and grin as the car lurches forwards.

"_I said fucking first_!" Alec yelps as the car shoots out the door. The airial twangs dramatically against the still rising door.

"What? You like things fast!"

Alec lunges across and reaches down at the speed of fucking light, slamming the brake down with his hand and pushing my foot off the accelerator with the other. As soon as he snaps back up into his sitting position, obviously trying to reign in his blazing temper, I skewer him with my eyes.

"That was rude."

He gives me the first proper glare he's given in a week, and switches the gearshift down to first.

"Now," he says curtly. "Be a good girl and try not to cause any fatalities."

"Awh, but fatalities are the fun part of driving," I say, each word oozing more sarcasm than the last.

"Just drive," Alec sighs, rubbing his pinched brow.

"If you say so," I say in my chirpiest, most irritating voice. After the past week, I'm willing to push my luck. Alec looks like he's regretting his decision to be nice.

He regrets it even more when, only about fifteen minutes later, I'm leaning out the window to scream at a driver that decided it was appropriate to flip me off.

"_Get the fuck off the road you retarded motherfucker!_" I yell, at the tippy top of my lungs. It feels good to excersise them. "_I'll drive at this side if I fucking want to! I am an AM-ER-I-CAN! Get the fuck used to it! Oh take that finger and shove it up yo-_"

"_Phoenix_!" Alec snaps, grabbing me by the back of my tank top and yanking me forcefully back through the window. The overweight, balding driver huffs furiously, doing a fucking _incredible_ impersonation of a cranky rhino, slumps heavily back into his car (poor car) and drives away on what he claims is the 'right' side of the road. It looks like the left one to me, but whatever.

Alec presses another magic button and the dark tinted window slides up all the way, leaving no room for last-minute insults.

He seizes the seatbelt and ties it so forcefully around me that I'm trying to tug it off by the time it's clicked into place, because it's tied _so_ tight that I can't evenm breathe.

"Can't _breathe_, bitch!" I pant, yanking at it. Alec gives a sarcastic snort.

"If you can't breathe, you can't talk," he retorts. "Quit abusing drivers, do you hear me?"

He releases his tight hold on the belt once he notices that I'm turning certain colours that I should not turn.

"He abused me _first_," I complain, rubbing my chest where the belt cut across it painfully. Fucking Alec and his fucking superhuman strength.

"Because you almost ran him off the road!"

" 'Almost', not 'did'," I point out. "Difference."

"My apologies," Alec scoffs.

"Apology accepted."

He growls. "Pull over onto the other side of the road, you can't drive on this side."

"Why _not_?"

He shrugs. "It's just the way things are over here."

"That's fucked up," I complain, just for the sake of complaining. "I miss America. Is it true that if a man wears a skirt in Italy, he gets arrested?"

"Yes."

I grin broadly. "Have _you_ ev-"

"Don't _even_ ask," he interrupts sharply. "Just drive."

"Fine," I grumble, giving a small cringe of anticipation as I spin the car around, earning more honks from drivers.

After a careful (ample swearing, punching of the horn and vicious commenting) manouver, I manage to swing us around and carry on, still in first gear as Alec has his hand over the gearshift so I can't change it.

"Can I dress you up in a skirt?"

"Can I dress you up in a bunny costume and parade you around the streets?"

"...If you wear a skirt."

His snarl is my only answer, which I assume means "we'll talk about it later".

Trying to rid my mind of the disturbing, though _extreeeeeeemely_ entertaining image of Alec in a miniskirt, I focus on the soft purr of the enjine as we exit Volterra and head for the freeway. The roads turn supple beneath the tyres and the road becomes void of traffic.

"Can I put it up a gear?" I plead, turning my whole head to stare beseechingly at my lovely, kind, understanding, full-of-fun...

"_Look at the fucking road_!"

...douchebag.

"Let me put it up a gear."

To my delight, Alec relents. I think he's getting restless going this slow. He can _walk_ fucking faster than this.

He lets me wrench it up to second, and I feel a thrill low in my belly as the car lurches forward a bit faster. I'm actually getting the hang of driving, faster than I expected.

_Fuck_ yeah! I am awesomesauce.

"More," I beg, grabbing the gearshift and yanking it roughly before he can say no. He eyes me strangely, but I ignore him, taken over by the thrill of the speed, of the earth passing beneath the tyres in the blink of an eye.

I ignore the feeling of Alec's eyes boring holes in me and swerve a little, laughing when the car drifts without permission. Alec says nothing. But out of the bare corner of my eye, I think I spot the tip of his tongue flick out against his full lower lip.

I wonder if he can smell the adrenaline flashing through my blood as the car leaps against the road. The blistering sun sends steam wafting up from the black tarmac, and I can smell the smooth friction of the tyres and the ground. The suns unrelenting rays are blocked off by the heavy tint of the windows, but the heat is nothing to be ignored. I darent take my eyes off the road to fuck around with the air conditioning, but I feel a thin sheen of sweat break out across my skin.

My heart bounces gleefully against my ribcage as I nudge the gearshift up to fourth without any protests. The car tears up the earth beneath it.

It's baking hot inside the car, almost unbearable. Even Alec can feel it. His fists are clenched in his lap, and when I glance at his face I see his head tilted back, his eyes closed, his lips pressed in a tight line.

Wondering what crawled up his ass and died, I dare to ease it into fifth. If it's possible, the heat intensifies. I feel my hands begin to stick against the faux leather of the steering wheel. I feel the sweat begin to bead on the back of my neck and on my chest.

"Damn," I gasp, only realising now just how stuffy the inside of the car is. Fucking Italian sun. The damn thing's making Alec a ready-cooked meal right here. "Can you open a window?"

Alec's eyes flash open, looking a bit perplexed. Are they darker?

"Huh?" He says. He'd obviously been going for a little not-quite-nap and his glower is making it obvious that I not-quite disturbed him.

"Window. Open. Now. I'm fucking boiling here," I press the heel of my hand against my forehead, gathering up tiny beads of persperation. Alec does as I ask, pressing not only his and my window down but also the sunroof.

The air flushes through the car, and I breathe out heavily in relief. "Thank fuck."

However, the sun floods in through the open sunroof, and it's intense light fills the car. Alec begins to, ahem, _sparkle_. Like a great big obnoxious Tinkerbell.

"God, you're so gay," I laugh, a little breathlessly. "I think you might wind up with a skirt afterall."

He doesn't reply. After a few minutes, the glimmer in the corner of my eye becomes too distracting.

"Can't you shut that the fuck _off_?" I turn my head to look at him, just in time to catch his eyes flashing back up to my face, looking abashed.

...Heh?

"Don't you think I would if I could?" He snaps, sounding angry. I try not to flinch from the sudden force in his tone.

"I don't know. Maybe you like it, Twinkles."

"I'd shut that mouth if you knew what was good for you, _Pet_."

And shut I do. I know when my luck is as pressed as it gets. Pushing Alec is like using a Q-Tip to clean your ears. You've gotta stop eventually unless you wanna end up with your brains spattered all over the floor.

Which I don't think anyone wants, really. Jeez, imagine the headlines; "Tragic death by Q-Tip." Sounds more like a comedy to me.

The road winds and twists soothingly, but after a few more minutes, I feel Alec's eyes on me again. I swallow deeply.

I'm paranoid. I _know_ I'm paranoid. But after...well, is it that hard to believe that Alec is staring at my chest?

I wish tank tops could magically convert into turtlenecks during awkward situations. Why can't I own one of those? Or even better, a great big brick wall to keep Alec at a very nice distance. Or a flamethrower. Where are ejector seats when you fucking need them?

When I glance at Alec, his eyes are already forced to the road ahead. Mentally scolding myself for being a moron, I let my own eyes fall back to the glaringly bright route. My mind starts to drift as I get into driving, into the speed and the relaxation and the breeze gusting through the car, lifting my hair round my face and making me squirm a little as it tickles.

I don't realise that I'm subconsciously watching Alec until something (terrifyingly literally) grows in my vision.

Before I can whip my head fully around to confirm my horrorstruck suspicions, Alec straightens up from his slouch and yells. "_Stop the car_!"

My foot slams automatically on the brake, and despite my seatbelt my ribs crush into the steering wheel painfully, pushing all the air from my lungs. The car skids to a violent stop. I flop back heavily in my seat, gasping when the car jolts to a stop. Alec is already out, standing by his door. I see what he's staring so focused at.

About two hundred yards ahead of us, there are at least twelve sparkling figures standing in a straight line, red eyes deadly and sharp.

I unclip my belt and push the door open, stepping out to get a closer look.

"Phoenix," Alec says flatly. "Get back in the car."

"No."

"Phoenix!"

"What are they doing?" I ask. They're not moving, not doing anything. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were statues.

"Waiting," Alec replies.

"For what?" I snap, anxiety rising. "Enough with the fucking cryptic!"

"You and I," he responds. His voice is the glistening edge of a knife before it plunges into a throbbing heart.

Suddenly Alec ogling my tits doesn't seem like such a big problem.

"They're not doing anything," I point out, a little unnerved by their perfect stillness. They haven't moved, not an inch.

"They don't have to. We're outnumbered," Alec moves around the car to stand in front of it, his gleaming teeth bared in a warning hiss. The line remains unresponsive, completely confident. My eyes flicker to stare between them as I see a speck of colour break through the hot, rippling air.

It's another car, the first we've seen on this road so far. It's coming at full speed towards the perfectly straight row of glittering monsters.

It takes but moments for the second car – a family vehicle, an unattractive navy colour – to eat the distance away. Surely the driver will stop, slow down at least, once they notice the creatures?

"Alec," I whisper, when the line finally responds. Partially, at least. Two near the middle turn around, and one takes a few steps forward, towards the approaching car.

"I know," Alec murmurs. He already knows what will happen. Unthinkingly, I clutch his arm.

The car doesn't stop, but it does slow. I can imagine what the driver is thinking: "_What on earth is that diamond-person doing walking towards me_?"

Alec grabs me and tries to nudge me behind his body, backing us up until the backs of my knees hit our car's bumper. Alec's body tenses against mine. As soon as the approaching car slows another notch, the turned creature disappears.

He doesn't disappear completely. I can still see the glimmer of his skin as he runs at impossible speed, only a sharp distance until the deafening sound of metal crushing reaches my ears.

His hands crush against the hood of the car, his fingers creating dented grooves to grip with. In one fell motion, he swings the car up into the air, and the machine whirls. I can hear the terrified screams from within, and my stomach does somersaults. The car never once stopped in it's speed.

I don't see the actual crash; Alec spins around to sheild me from any shrapnel, pressing my face into his chest. But I hear it, the spine-tingling sound of metal shredding away from itself, of gravel screeching and glass smashing. I hear the crackle of sparks and the _whoomph_ of flames errupting.

The screams are the only sound that quenches.

When I push myself away from the protective cage of Alec's arms, all I can see is thick black plumes of smoke, and the orange flashes of flames leaping towards the sky. The remains of the car are dangerously close by, only about ten meters away from Alec and I.

White figures emerge from the destruction. Alec's growl, real and disturbingly animal-like, sends shudders down my spine. He speaks so quickly I barely hear him.

"Phoenix, get back in the car and drive home, right now. Get help."

The paniced urgency in his voice is so unfamilliar to my ears that I find myself obeying.

I wrench away from his body as he disappears into the gradually dissipitating smoke. Yanking the driver's door open, I throw myself inside the safe cavern of Demetri's car and tug furiously on the gearshift, putting it in reverse. The car lurches backwards, and in panic I manage to spin it around.

Soon I'm speeding towards Volterra, leaving the carnage, and Alec, behind.

My eyes are everywhere but the road as I fling the glove compartment open, my free hand searching for Alec's cellphone, which he tossed there carelessly before my driving lesson. I find it easily; it's the only thing in there. Flipping it open, I hit speed dial three.

Chelsea answers after two rings.

"Hello?" Her tinkling voice is so calm, it conflicts with the situation ridiculously.

"It's me," I croak, and I realise I'm shaking.

"Phoenix?" Instant panic fills her voice. I hear other voices in the background, anxious murmurings reacting to Chelsea's abrupt tone.

"We were ambushed," I choke, slowing down the car, only realising now how crazily fast I'm driving.

"Where?" Her voice is all business. "How many?"

"On the highway," I reply, trying to even out my voice. "Uh, about twelve, I think. I-I'm not sure."

"Where are you now?"

"Alec made me drive back."

There's a pause as she thinks this over. "Alec is by himself now," she realises. I get the impression that she's not talking to me as much as she's getting this across to herself.

"Phoenix," she says suddenly, above the buzzing uproar in the background. Her voice is like steel; hard and fierce. "Come home. We're going out."

The call disconnects.

I bite down hard on my lip, tipping the phone out of my hand and into the passanger seat. With two hands on the steering wheel, I suddenly become very conscious of the fact that I have little to no idea what I'm doing with this fucking car. Pressing lightly on the brake, I slow down and yank the handbrake up, twisting the keys until the enjine shuts up.

Huffing out an anxious breath, I lean my face in two hands, feeling my throat dry.

The Volturi are coming to help Alec, Chelsea said so. They'll find him.

_But will they find him in time?_ My mind taunts.

What if Alec gets ripped up into little pieces and tossed into the car fire?

_Didn't you want that? You said so. To Benjamin. Remember Benjamin? Your best friend that Alec murdered right in front of you? Is your memory that fucking bad?_

This is _fucked_ up. I'm being jeered at by my own subconscious.

_Don't you want him to get what he deserves?_

Do I?

He has his power, he'll be fine.

But what was it he told me? His power takes time to work. I've seen the Volturi rip chunks off eachother in under a second. Will Alec have time to defend himself before he becomes a charcoal briquette?

_What the fuck do you care? He imprisoned you. He used you for his own carnal pleasures and acted like it was nothing. What do you think is gonna happen the next time you piss him off?_

I touch my jaw carefully. It still aches when I move it, even after two long weeks.

I imagine Volterra without Alec. Would they bother to keep me alive without my owner. Jane would want me dead, undoubtedly. If it wasn't for me, Alec would never have walked into the trap. I'm sure it's the Romanians again. But what do I know. What vampires _wouldn't_ want such a threat dead?

Would I be worth keeping around, with this maybe-maybe-not barely gift of mine? Wouldn't it be like looking in the face of their beloved boy's demise every time they saw me?

Was I worth it?

_Is he?_

What the fuck would I be able to do anyway, even if I did go back? Stand there uselessly waving my arms around yelling "Hey _dickheads_! Free snack bar right here!" ? Hardly.

Squeezing my eyes shut to block out my own thoughts, I twist the key, push the handbrake, and touch my foot to the pedal, driving.

**Jeez. Every time Alec gets a hard on around her, he gets ambushed. You'd think he'd learn by now! Gosh.**


	15. Baby Be Brave

_Baby, be brave,_

_Cause what's the point of it all?_

_Tell me what's it all for?_

_If you're not terrified to fail..._

My heartbeat drums loud and insistant in my ears as I wrench the steering wheel sideways, and the car does a violent, sudden swerve. Steadying the roaring machine on the road, trying to see through the clouds of dust the tyres kicked up, I punch the gearshift right up to sixth and send the car zooming in full-throttle back the way I'd come.

The steady growl of the enjine should be soothing; a sound I love. But it just puts me more on edge, my pulse racing, fast and furious and terrified.

I hadn't gotten far before, so I reach the scene I'd left in under a minute.

But, fucking hell, it's a very tense minute.

The smoke has cleared, but just a little, just allowing for some basic sight. Very basic. I don't see the white figure in front of me until the bumper of the car ploughs right into it without hesitation.

There's a fierce jolt as the car and the monster clash. The rear end of the car whirls sideways, and I'm not even sure the back tyres are touching the ground anymore. I fly forward, my whole body feeling like it's being crushed with the intense pressure. My victim flies over the front as his footing is uprooted by the impact, crunching the windshield to tiny glass shards. They rain over me as the car skids to a juddering stop, rocking like airplane turbulance and making me dizzy.

The world is finally still. Steam from the enjine billows in my face, and my breaths clench in unsteady coughs.

I hear shrieks and snarls and the sound of stone being shredded that makes every part of me clench. It's like nails on a chalkboard. Cold shivers ooze through my body. Human instinct kicks in, and fear pulses through me.

Okay, silver lining. Silver lining.

I'm not dead. That's kinda good, y'know? Surviving a car accident is always nice.

Blood is sliding down my face from a cut on my cheekbone, courtesy of the glass. Fucking monster creature getting in my way. At least he got what he deserves – a bumper to his immortal ass. As I twist my limbs to make sure they're all still attatched to my person, I hiss in pain, realising that I've got a shard of glass embedded in my upper arm, half of it sticking out obscenely, dripping blood.

Nice. _Just_ fucking lovely.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I seize the transparent edge and tug, smothering a scream in my throat as pain errupts in my arm. Son of a _bitch_!

I drop the offending glass and the blown-up airbags, shaking a little bit. When the enjine makes an angry hissing noise, I decide it's probably smart to exit the car rightnow, this minute, before it explodes to hell or some shit.

I clamber over the steering wheel through the windshield, not trusting the doors not to break away in my hands. I jump over the remains of the bumper, staggering when my feet crunch against the shrapnel-infested gravel.

"Alec!" I yell, my voice hoarse and gagging as smoke floods down my throat. The only reponse I get is the heightened noise of fighting, and the sound of the first car burning to ash.

I stumble towards the flames when I see white figures dancing behind the smoke. A lot of white figures, but fewer than before. That's when I spot several charring white limbs among the flames, burning.

For one nausiating second, I think I see a sweep of dark hair on the dismembered corpse, and my heart plummets. My stoach churns and my breath catches in my throat.

_Am I too late?_

My frantic thought gets cut out when something grabs me by the throat.

I'm whipped off my feet and left dangling in the furious gasp of the one I hit. His blazing red eyes are hungry as his lips pull away to reveal a perfect row of pearly teeth.

_Well fuck damn, this is just gonna ruin my whole day._

With a low, feral growl, I feel teeth against my shoulder.

There's a terrifying jolt, and then suddenly I'm literally hitting the road. I land on my bleeding arm and can't supress a gasp of pain.

"_Shit!_"I hiss, grabbing my arm and feeling the hot, wet liquid drip over my fingers. I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for impact, any impact. But instead, I hear another thunderous crash. My eyes snap open automatically, just in time to catch Alec standing over my attacker, pitching his head from his shoulders.

"What the fuck?" I cough as Alec throws the entire corpse into the pire.

"Are you alright?" He yells over the sounds of burning and snarling.

"I-I'm fine," I reply shakily. "I thought you were a fucking goner!"

Alec glances back at the roaring, leaping flames engulfing the white chunks. In the same second, he whisks me up and clutches me against his body, moving backwards until he hits the side of Demetri's ruined car.

"You're bleeding," he breathes as we sink towards the ground. He touches the tip of his finger to the cut on my cheek, and I wince at the sting.

"You're hurt too," I realise, seeing that his back is stooped over and he's walking awkwardly on one leg.

"Twelve on one, not really good odds," he gasps.

"Just use that knock-out shit of yours and set them all on fire!" I babble urgently as my eyes focus on about seven white forms seeping through the smoke towards us.

"I can't," he hisses, pushing back further against the car, as if he wants to burrow into it and disappear. Which, right now, _might_ not be the worst idea in the world.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I cry. The opposition are closing in on us again, red eyes glowing with danger. Despite myself, my blood feels hot in my veins, like a luminous sign screaming for teeth. I'm not oblovious to the fact that Alec, beside me, isn't breathing.

"It's not working," he says, intently focused on the approaching creatures. He subtly untangles himself from me, and coils to spring. The lump in my throat swells.

"What? _How_?" I gasp, my body protesting when he pushes me towards the ground, like he's trying to nudge me right under the fucking car.

I don't get an answer. With a chilling snarl, Alec launches himself at the closest opponant, disappearing into the smoke once more.

I stay frozen with fear, all adrenaline replaced by terror. What the ever holy fuck am I supposed to do? Wait for Alec to get himself all ripped up and his killers to come back and make me into a nice post-dinner snack?

Uh, nah.

I drag myself to my unsteady feet, stumbling over warped pieces of metal as I make my way to the trunk of the car.

What am I even looking for? _No_ fucking clue. Something hard and heavy (not _even_ the time) that's good for skull-cracking. Wrenching the trunk open ( it's a big trunk. Damn, you could stow a body up in here. My stomach churns a little as I realise that's probably _just_ what it's been used for) my eyes hunt for any kind of weaponry. Any kind _at all _would be nice. I'll take a little foam sword at this point. You'd be surprised at the uses little foam swords have.

The boot is totally empty, all except for a metal car axel.

What the fuck would someone like Demetri need an axel for? If the car broke down he could lift it with his pinkie. Not to mention that he's so rich he could just get another one. But whatever. I'm not gonna search for more reasons, coz God only knows what freakish shit my twisted mind could come up with, and now is _so_ not the time.

Slipping my fingers beneath the cold metal, I try to lift it.

_Try_ being the key word here.

The damn thing is so fucking heavy that my whole body shakes under the pressure of keeping the unwieldy thing in my arms. The blood from where the glass pierced my skin pulses faster than before, trailing all the way down the length of my arm. The red against my white skin is startling.

Struggling not to buckle under the weight of the axel, I stagger forward, into the midst of the smoke and dust and fighting. I can see everything clearly in the centre of it.

The seven things are still there, Alec in the centre. He's holding his own; some of them are half afraid to approach him. The ones that do are flipped over his head while he growls. I'm sure I'm not the only one that notices his teeth clenching with effort and pain.

It doesn't take long for one of them to take advantage of Alec's injuries. A tall Romanian with piercing eyes and strong features tackles Alec around the waist, elicting a howl of pain from him. My chest clenches at Alec's anguished expression as he tries to fight against the man who's at least a foot and a half taller than him. The others are all too happy to sit back and watch the vicious brawl.

I have to stumble two steps back to allow for the two hissing blurs to land at my feet. My weak human eyes manage to catch the bigger monster sink his teeth deep into Alec's throat, ready to rip his head from his shoulders. Alec yells in agony, and the sound pierces through my body.

That's when I unload the axel and dump it onto the creature's head.

Alec isn't the only one yowling with pain in the next second. The attacker rolls himself off Alec to grasp his head and fling the (dented) axel over his shoulder. He flips himself off his back and onto his feet, his blazing eyes zeroing on my throat.

In the same instant that he lunges, he's knocked back, and his head detatcheds from his shoulders.

My mouth drops open in total shock as his decapitated body sags and drops to the ground, Felix standing behind him with a lighter in one hand and head in the other.

"FELIX!" I yell, happiness overcoming fear. "Oh man! I've never been so fucking happy to see y-"

Alec grabs me and yanks me to the ground just as Santiago flies over my head, taking out another creature that takes a go at biting Felix.

Chelsea lands lightly beside Alec, murmuring soothing words that I can hardly hear. Jane drops down behind me, and I instinctively jump forward away from her, spinning around to land on my ass.

Chelsea brought a lot of backup. Demetri flashes through my line of vision, followed instantly by Corin and Afton, and when Carlisle appears by my side it isn't a surprise that Emmett and Jasper zap by too.

"Fucking Romanians," Jane spits as Carlisle asks Alec to lie back down.

"Easy, Jane, easy," Chelsea soothes Alec's angry sister as best as she can, while Alec refuses to lie down.

"It'll make it easier to examine you," Carlisle pleads.

"I don't need examining," Alec's protest hisses through clenched teeth.

"Stand up, then," Chelsea says, her voice firm. It's almost funny that she's acting like a rational mom, with a vicious fight going on in the background.

Alec's eyes squeeze shut as he stubbornly tries to force himself to his feet. For once I'm on a par with Jane, both of us rolling our eyes when Chelsea has to place a gentle hand against his chest and press him back down.

By this point, the opponants are dead, being piled by the Volturi and Jasper and Emmett onto the already roaring fire.

"Corin, Santiago, get Phoenix home," Chelsea says, and Santiago quickly scoops me up into his arms, ignoring my vigerous protests. "We're going to need the car."

On the word 'car,' Demetri's eyes land on his, and his eyes bug from his head.

I press my lips together to supress an out-of-place grin as Demetri sees the busted enjine, the smashed windows, the enormous concaved dent where I drove it into the creature.

With wide eyes, Demetri's head snaps to face me. My teeth bare in an Oh-Metri-You-Know-You-Love-Me-REALLY smile, which he does not appreciate.

"I _knew_ lending out my car would cause carnage," he seeths, zooming past to touch the tip of his finger to the intact front door, which drops dramatically away from the car on contact. He visibly cringes and runs clenchy fists through his bedragged hair. "Fucking _knew it_!"

"Then why'd you lend-" Corin pinches my lips between her fingers as an angry growl errupts from deep in Demetri's throat.

"We're leaving, jeez," Santiago says when Chelsea waves us away impatiently, turning back to her ward, who's still stubbornly sitting up.

**vVv**

I'm run home in Santiago's arms, ducking through alleyways and skiving round the back of town to avoid being spotted in the sunlight, even though the day is drawing to a close and dark clouds are seeping into the sky, blocking the sunset.

"Do you think it's gonna snow soon?" Corin asks eagerly, peering up to the sky as if trying to spy phantom snowflakes wafting through the clouds.

"Maybe. The weather forecast says next week," Santiago replies.

"Snow?" I echo incredulously, shaking my head. "Uh, hello, did you guys not notice the blinding sunshine?"

Corin grins. "Silly little American girl. This is Italy. Sunshine is kind of a given," and she ruffles my hair infuriatingly, ignoring my uselessly swiping hand.

"It's December, little Nyx. Did you forget?"

Santiago's question has me blinking thoughtfully. Since I arrived in Volterra, time really lost all meaning. I'm practically nocturnal now, sleeping during whatever hours Alec wants to himself. Days blur together so often that I forget the date. Weeks skip by dramatically. My days are filled with such chaos that I never really get to question the time passing.

"Does it snow in Italy?" I dodge his question with my own.

"Almost every year," Corin replies, ducking back towards us as she snaps her fingers. "Remembered something," she says cheerfully, and she takes one ring-adorned finger and swipes it roughly across the cut on my face, making me yell in pain and annoyance as the close-to-clotting blood flows free again. Corin takes her dripping finger into her mouth and moans appreciatively at the taste of my blood. I touch my bloodied cheek with disgruntlement.

When she reaches out for another taste, Santiago beats me to the punch by snapping at her fingers. I flinch when his teeth crash together fearsomely, close to my face. Corin looks sulky.

"Don't look at me that way," Santiago scolds, playful again. "Be lucky I'm such a nice person and won't tell Alec that you tasted his pet. You _know_ how territorial he is. He'll rip you a new one if he finds out." Santiago's eyes flicker down to me. "Which he might."

Corin huffs. "That's _so_ unfair. She smells _so_ good. A tiny sip wouldn't do anyone any harm."

"Speak for yourself!" My voice shoots several octaves higher in alarm.

Corin bares her teeth teasingly, but drops her arms to her sides, before folding them beneath her ample breasts. "Alec won't be mobile for a good few days _anyway_," she points out. "With the way he looked, I wouldn't be surprised if Aro decides to keep him bed-bound for a whole week."

"He'll go insane," Santiago chuckles. "Run ahead would you? Let Aro know we're back and everything's fine."

"Yup yup," Corin affirms, leaping onto a roof and disappearing.

"Will they be home soon?" I ask.

"Depends on how fast they can convince Alec that he's not fit to run. Might take a few years," Santiago jokes, trying to lighten the mood. I refuse to be lightened. "Felix, Afton, Demetri and the Cullen boys are sweeping the area, then they'll follow us. Afton brought Chelsea's car, so Jane will probably have the job of driving her brother home with Chelsea and Dr. Cullen." Santiago shakes his head. "Well, I'll give the kid this much. He's always been good at taking a punch."

And y'know, I probably wouldn't have read much into that, had Santiago not tensed and acted like he'd said far too much.

"What does that mean?" I ask shrewdly, my eyes narrowing.

"Um, nothing," Santiago says, too quickly. "Shall we walk home? It's a nice evening for it." And I'm swung to my feet so suddenly that I flip forward and have to catch myself on my hands, aggrivating my bleeding arm.

"Sorry, sorry," Santiago mumbles, hoisting me to my feet when I glare at him. "Come on, let's hurry up. Run. I think it might rain."

"Rain, snow, sunshine. You should never become a weatherman," I grumble, grateful when he doesn't try to haul me along. He grins, thinking he's diverted my thoughts from his slip up.

Oh poor, naive Santiago. He knows so little about teenage girls. We are un-divert-able. Especially when we're just plain out nosy by nature.

"What did you mean when you said Alec could always take a punch?" I ask, curiosity clear in my tone.

And that, good residents of Earth, is when the heavens decided to open.

"I _told_ you! I _told_ you so!" Santiago crows, far too happy for someone who's been soaked through in under ten seconds. His long black hair is dripping, sticking comically to his face. The blood washes off my skin. Santiago looks grateful.

"Oh well done. You've magically predicted that I'm going to get the flu from being caught out in this downpour," I scowl, as Santiago picks me up and deposits us inside a tiny, almost uninhabited cafè.

The floors are dark peachy tiles, almost tangerine. They shine with clumsy droplets and small puddles of water as Santiago shakes himself down like a wet dog, and I start to wring out my long hair. The walls are halved by a jutting stripe of doubly-curved plaster lying horizontal and white. The top halves of the walls are creamy, adorned with several small painted portraits of Italian canals and beaches. The bottom halves are striped too, each inch-wide line varying between olive green, dirty white and the same colour as the floor tiles.

The only inhabitants are a middle-aged Italian man with a friendly aura behind the marble countertop, fumbling with a coffee machine; an old grey-haired man hiding behind his oversized newspaper, and a nervous looking thirty-something woman with a head of tight dark curls and anxious brown eyes.

Okay, maybe it's not the prettiest place in the world, but it's quiet and slightly cooler than outside, thanks to the slow overhead ceiling fan, so it suits me just fine. Also, the lack of people is nice. I dislike people. Call me antisocial.

When I look back at Santiago, his bright eyes are darkened with contacts, and he winks at me with these faux eyes, making me grin.

"Ever the fool, Santiago," I smile, despite the fact that I'm dripping and uncomfortable.

He grins broadly and sweeps his arm. "Just call me the Court Jester."

It's true. For someone who's job title is nothing less than 'Executioner', he's always cheerful. I think thats why he and Corin are such good friends. Her gift is to keep everyone content and happy. I hear she spends a lot of the time with the mysterious wives whom I've never met (and according to Alec, probably never will). And Santiago is always happy. It's rare to see him with a frown. If he wasn't such a good dude, his constant optimistic behavior would get on my nerves.

He gestures for me to sit down. "Until the rain eases off," he says. When we're both seated and comfy-ish, the cafè's owner comes up to us, brandishing a menu.

He babbles in Italian, a thin line of sweat breaking out across his hairline. Santiago replies, and I've learned enough Italian to know that he asked for water. The man flees quickly.

Santiago is a nice person by nature, but still, humans' natural instinct makes them fear him. I wonder if it makes some of them sad, knowing that no matter how friendly and generous they are, that the world still wants nothing to do with them. Humans still have, and always will have, a natural aversion to them. It's survival instinct.

I think about the Cullens, trying so hard to blend in and mingle with humans, yet always being alienated, by their own kind too for trying to be something they're not.

Gosh, I hate serious thoughts. They always end up making me into a more understanding person. And I know that no matter how hard I try to be prickly and aversive, that I'm going to be nicer to the Cullens from now on.

Ugh.

"You never answered my question before," I remember.

"What question?" Santiago's brow furrows almost convincingly. Almost.

"You're a suckish liar, man. My question about Alec being able to take a punch."

Santiago groans, and the sound is alarmingly loud in the otherwise silent cafè. "I should have known you wouldn't drop it."

"Dude, of course I wasn't going to drop it," I tut. "Now spill."

He pulls a face. "I'll be killed for what I'm about to tell you, I hope you know," he complains. "Let my death be on your head."

"I'll survive."

"I won't!"

"How come?"

I lean my elbow on the table and rest my blood-free cheek against my fist as Santiago begins his story.

"Alec and Jane are very...private...about their human lives," Santiago explains, hedging a little. "They like to think we know a lot less than we do. We were all there, of course, watching, waiting for them to be old enough to..." He trails off, guilt suddenly his most dominant emotion. "Some of us wanted to take them away, raise them ourselves, but Aro and Caius forbade us from interfering.

"Children – especially children with Jane and Alec's natural traits – having been raised by creatures like _us_, in an environment such as _ours_, would have been catastrophic. You think they're vicious _now_, imagine how they would have been with only us, rampant killers by nature, as their only role models?"

Santiago shudders. "I imagine they would behave as immortal children do," he eyes me warily. "Did Alec tell you about the Immortal Children?"

I nod. Early on when I had been curious about the Volturi's role in their world, Alec explained to me about some of their laws.

"Freakishly demonic mini-psychos," I reply.

"Precisely," Santiago's smile doesn't quite have as much life in it as before. "But...I think Aro has always regretted his decision to let them alone. Thankfully he decided to have us watch them throughout their lives. If he hadn't, they'd be very dead by now, probably from a very young age.

"Their human mother died giving birth to Alec," Santiago tells me, and somehow this information seems very significant.

"I thought Alec was the older twin?"

"He is," Santiago says gravely. "Jane would have been a stillborn, but the surgeon cut open their dead mother to retrieve her. Unfortunately, this information reached their father when they told him his wife had died...

"Had it not been for a nurse hired by their mother prior to her death, the twins certainly would have died in early infancy. Their father reverted to alchoholism to quench his pain, and his loathing for his children. He hated them so, Alec in particular, for slaughtering his wife.

"I'm not _exacly_ sure what sparked that first beating. But Alec was only five at the time. For the next eleven years, Alec was subjected to his father's rage and hate, and little Jane could do nothing but sit back and watch, her own rage building...

"Of course, she received her fair share of beatings aswell, but their father barely noticed she was there half the time. Alec got the worst of it."

"Didn't the nurse do anything?" I ask, both disgusted and fascinated by the story.

"Oh, their father murdered her when the twins were seven for prescisely that – she interfered. He fabricated a note to them saying that she was leaving them because they were demonic beings. Jane was the only one to find the note, and she burned it before Alec could see it. She didn't want him hurt that way. Their nurse was the closest thing to a parent they could have wished for. The only one in their human lives who ever really loved them.

"The villagers hated the twins, thought they should have died. They had been premature, sickly infants, and still pulled through. This was as good as a miracle at the time, and with the death of their mother and drastic change in their father, as well as their almost surreal beauty, it was thought that the Devil was involved," Santiago rolls his fake eyes in disgust.

"They couldn't go anywhere safe. Outside, they were despised by everyone they came across. Inside, they were beaten and hated by their own father. With their supernatural gifts, the young twins were declared Witches."

"They put up with all that?" I say, incredulous and feeling a little sick. "That doesn't seem like them."

Santiago chuckled darkly. "You must remember, they were weak human children. What reason did they have for believing they could stand up for themselves?

"Sometimes it did become too much to bear. Alec tried to take his own life several times between the time he was eleven and sixteen," there's a beat as Santiago lets this sink in. "We had to intervene. I remember vividly, having to slice through the rope with my own teeth."

Santiago shudders, recalling the horrific memory. I feel myself pale a little bit.

"But he did fight back, a lot. He learned to give as good as he got, and it saved his life several times. Jane used to be so scared, watching her brother and her father attack eachother savagely. But it made him strong. That's why he's not a scrawny little thing like he should be – Daddy dear never did think to go out for food, whiskey was enough for that bastard – he was literally fighting fit. He learned strategy as well. If you ever watch him fight, even now, you'll see him focus on the ribs and the head."

Santiago bites his lip suddenly. "I won't go into the details of their final days of life," he decides, in the same moment that I decide that I'm probably better off not knowing. "But their father...died. And the vilagers decided enough was enough. We arrived literally just in time to save them from being burned to death at the stake."

There's more tense silence as I imagine the twins, small and weak and pretty, living the life Santiago described to me. Sighing, I realise that I understand their natures a little more now. Alec's need to control everything (everything being...me) and Jane's vicious personality. Who wouldn't get just a _little bit_ testy being born and bred in a living hell? That was something I could almost empathise with. Except after hearing about the twins' upbringing, my early childhood seems a lot less dramatic. At least I had a mom. Even a drug-addict barely-there mom. And after that, I had my Grandma. They never had anyone.

"The rain's stopped," Santiago breaks through my stupor, gazing thoughtfully out the window. "Shall we head for home?"

It takes about five minutes afte we've left the cafè for me to realise that the guy never brought me my water.

**vVv**

The others beat us home. When Santiago dives through a window with me on his back, Afton is waiting for us.

"I'd watch your heads," he says. "Chelsea's angry. She's with Alec down in the infirmary."

"How's he doing?" Santiago asks, setting me on my feet.

"Chelsea managed to persuade Alec to let Carlisle treat him. He's going to be just fine, but Aro wants him to stay in the infirmary for a while," Afton says, leading us down the hall. He casts an eye towards me. "He's looking for you."

Afton tells Santiago that Aro's looking for him, so Santiago toddles off to do his own thing while Afton takes me downstairs.

"I should warn you," Afton says severely. "Jane's down there, and she's not in the nicest of moods. Were I you, I'd keep any and all comments to myself."

"Sure sure," I scoff, but when I get down there and see the contorted furious expression on Jane's face, I decide it's probably best to keep my trap shut. At least for now.

Chelsea and Carlisle are bent over Alec's bed, murmering about what-the-fuck-ever. Jane is leaning against the nightstand beside the bed, her ankles crossed and arms folded, eyes on her brother.

Keeping quiet like Afton told me, I perch on a little stool and wait for them to disperse.

"Phoenix?" Carlisle says, making me blink. "I need to check those cuts. They'll need dressing, and possibly stitches."

"Great," I say, hopping down and rolling my eyes. "Because what fun-filled day out isn't complete without a full compliment of stitches?"

Carlisle smiles and whisks me up onto another bed, where I sit cross-legged. Chelsea gently takes Jane's arm.

"Come along, Jane. Let's get something to eat," she says. Jane sighs.

"Okay," she agrees. She leans down to kiss Alec's cheek before allowing Chelsea to lead her upstairs.

Carlisle fiddles about with cotton swabs and disinfectants, while I bend Q-Tips to ninety degree angles, just because. I glance over at Alec while Carlisle carefully cleans the cut on my face. Alec is lying back, his eyes closed, expression serene. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he was sleeping.

I inhale a tiny bit sharper than usual when the disinfectant stings my cheek. Alec's eyes snap open, and I see that they're closer to black than to red.

"Sorry," Carlisle mumbles absentmindedly. "Just stay still."

And so I play the good little patient and behave while he slathers fucking _acid_ all over my cuts, though it takes everything in me not to punch him in the face and jump out the window.

I dont need any stitches, much to my relief. However, Carlisle ties a bandage tight around my bicep and gives me a tiny thin plaster for my face.

"You'll both be just fine," he smiles.

"Thanks, Carlisle," I sigh, relieved that finally, _finally, _my drastic day is almost over. Alec doesn't respond.

After Carlisle leaves, Alec sighs deeply. "How are you?" He asks. "It's been an interesting day."

"You can say that again," I groan, rubbing the back of my neck with both hands. Alec beckons for me, and I sit obediently on the edge of the bed, beside his hip. "I'll live, what about you?"

"I'm fine, but Aro insists that I stay here and rest, at least until tomorrow morning," he grumbles, obviously put out that the mortal one of us is allowed up and about, while he has to stay put in a bed that he won't sleep in.

"How's your back?" I ask, remembering how he was stooped over with pain.

"It's fine. Healing," he says. "It's my neck that hurts."

My eyes fall to the deep bite on his throat, where his attacker tried to rip his head off.

"Bites do tend to sting a bit," I say, recalling the first time I saw him, when he bit my lip. I still have the scar.

"It's only the venom that really smarts," he says. Suddenly, a one-sided smile appears on his face. For a second I'm thrown by his beauty, but I snap out of my moronic transe when he speaks again. "Nice move with the axel, by the way."

"I'm nothing if not resourceful," I smile automatically in response to his expression. "I hope it hurt him."

"He was irritated, at the very least," Alec smiles, looking weary.

"You look tired."

"Look who's talking, human," he scoffs. It's true. In just the dim light of an overhead lamp in the warm room, I feel my body slipping into sleep-mode, my eyes sliding closed every few seconds.

"_I'm_ not tired."

"Liar," he chuckles, scooting over so there's room for me to lie down. "Come on. Sleep."

"Don't tell me what to do," I protest as he carefully pulls me down to lie beside him.

Y'know, it's an annoying thing when someone who's a hundred thousand times stronger than you suddenly becomes a whole lot weaker, and yet, no matter how hard you might try, they're _still_ able to boss you around and literally put you in your place. But even though I want to be stubborn and resist and stay up to argue with him some more, Alec's shoulder suddenly seems like the comfiest place in the world. So it isn't long before my eyes slide shut for a final time, and I fall asleep with Alec's arm wrapped protectively around my waist.

**vVv**

I learned two things after that day.

One: Falling asleep on something rock-solid and awkwardly shaped doesn't make for the best night's sleep. You're very likely to wake up freezing cold with a crick in your neck.

Two: When Alec gets bored, he gets angsty. Which means trouble for me.

Aro ordered Alec to take it easy for the next week. Which meant no patrolling, no fighting, and no running around the place with a human thrown over his back. So my number one duty for the next week was to keep Alec entertained...which went well for about...hmm...two hours. After that it was arguements, orders, and sulking for about four days.

"You told me Demetri _knew_ you took his car!" I yell, prior to being cornered by the ever-grumpy Tracker on the staircase during a forrage for something resembling dinner. Which I did not find.

"He did," Alec replies innocently. "He just wasn't entirely aware that I wasn't going to be the one driving it."

"He almost _ate_ me, I hope you know! _Again_!"

"But he didn't."

"It came pretty fucking close!"

"You're alive, aren't you? Demetri is harmless."

"Yeah, to _you_. You're not as edible as I am!" I wave my hands dramatically to indicate myself. "Look at me! I'm fucking delicious!"

Alec snorts, stretching lazily as he reclines on his sofa. "You have a rather high opinion of yourself. You aren't that lovely."

"Oh yeah? Well others agree that I taste fucking fantastic!" I rage.

Alec sits up, brow tightening as he connects the dots.

Uh...fuck.

"Others?" He questions, moving to stand up in the blink of an eye. I gulp, backing up some steps. "What do you mean, _what_ fucking others?" He demands.

"Nothing. It doesn't even matter," I say hotly, gripping fistfuls of my sleeves.

"Of course, it _matters_!" Alec hisses fiercely, grabbing hold of me. "Who the fuck tasted you?"

"Nobody," I gasp arrogantly, struggling and writhing against his iron grip. "Let the fuck _go_, you're hurting my arm!"

"_Yes_," he spits, and his grip tightens above my bandage. My mouth drops open in a silent cry as I feel myself bruise beneath his fingertips. "And I'll continue until you tell me who the fuck had the _nerve_ to taste you."

His breaths are coming in sharp hisses between his teeth, which are clenched viciously, gleaming with raw, uncurbed anger. His lips are pulled so far back over his teeth that his perfect straight nose is wrinkled and his eyes are narrowed to ruby slits.

"Tell me," he orders, his voice as sharp as a knife slicing through skin.

"Why does it even _matter_?" I cry. "What's done is done, what are you going to do?"

"I just want to know," he says, attempting to even out his voice. "Please?" His voice is much smaller, much softer. His face smooths out and becomes beseeching and irresistable.

And my stomach gives a little excited flip in response. And I hate myself for it.

"It was just...on the way home, after I drove Demetri's car into that guy. Corin got some of my blood on her finger and just...licked it off," I say desperately, editing away the part where she went back for a second taster.

And Alec changes.

A growl rips through his throat and he throws me backwards so my back hits the stone wall.

"Where the fuck are you going?" I yell when he flings the bedroom door open.

"To teach Corin not to drink what isn't hers," he snarls. "I know you're covering for her. Corin never does anything accidentally."

"But that's what _happened_!" I lie, grabbing hold of his arm and trying to haul him back. Which does not work. With one lift of his arm I'm dangling mid-air until he drops me, pinning me to the wall with his body.

"Don't you dare lie to me," he hisses furiously.

"Why does it even _matter_?" I demand, struggling fruitlessly. Alec pins my arms against the wall by my sides. "Why do you even give a flying fuck, man? I'm nothing more than entertainment to you anyway! What, do you just pretend to give a shit about me so you can go beat people up for kicks?"

With an electrified hiss, he frees my hands.

"Is that what you think?" He hisses, fury burning in every feature of his flawless face. "You think that I don't CARE about you? That you're fuck all else but a convenient little toy?"

"What the fuck am I if I'm not that?" I yell, my hands curled into fists as my nails bite into the flesh of my palms. "What's this?" I yank at the collar around my throat. "This fucking shows what I am to you. Why the fuck don't you just kill me and get it over with? Because I would rather die right this second than spend the rest of my life stuck with YOU."

"Ignortant little bitch,"he spits, enraged. He seizes a fistful of my hair and yanks my head backwards, elicting a yelp of shock from me. "I'll show you what the fuck you are to me."

The next thing I know, Alec has me pinned against the wall, about half a foot off the ground so we're at eye level. He kisses me then.

His lips are impossibly smooth and firm, moving against mine almost rythmically. His body fits liquidly against mine, his thigh slotting evenly between my legs. I give a small, startled gasp, and he takes the oppertunity to let his sweet tongue slide between my lips.

Alec's lips on mine are not soft. They're demanding, but somehow gentle.

And I can't shake the shock.

When he finally breaks away to let me breathe, my question comes out in frantic little gasps.

"What- the- fuck?"

His face is still pressed to mine, and in the soft light of the dim lamp, he looks so incredible that my belly does an annoying little flip.

He smiles softly, his lips grazing against mine as he speaks. I feel my heart quicken and my body become hot all over.

"You want to know what you are to me," he murmurs, letting his grip on my hair loosen, until his hand slips down and two fingers come to rest above the pulse point on my throat. He inhales deeply, and when he breathes out and his breath washes over my face, my mouth begins to water. "So I'm going to show you."

**Ohmygosh! Metinks sexcapades are in order. WARNING: next chapter contains much kink ;) I'm actually having an insane amount of fun writing it xD (to clear up any confusion...yes, I am a naturally perverted person. Deal and move on, people.)**


	16. Before The Dawn

_Somehow I know, that we can't, wake again,_

_From this dream, it's not real,_

_But it's ours._

_And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away,_

_That we'll, be lost,_

_Before the Dawn..._

He peppers soft kisses along my jaw until he reaches my lips. They ghost once, twice, three times over before he deepens the kiss, drifting his hands along my waist.

My brain finally unscrambles and I kiss him back, my arms wrapping automatically around his neck. He tastes unbelievably sweet – it's addictive. His hands pull me carefully away from the wall, keeping my body flush against his. It's a good thing he's very strong, and knows how to support me, because the feeling of his body against mine, his lips pressed on my own, his cold, wet tongue moulding with mine, has my knees morphing to jell-o under my own weight.

My arms release their strangle-hold on his neck, and my hands drift down to rest against his perfectly sculpted chest, hard and cool as a glorious monument under my searching fingers. The thin fabric of his black shirt is the only barrier between his skin and mine.

I give a small gasp into his mouth when his cold hands glide underneath my top to rest on the naked skin of my waist. My stomach muscles clench and tremble when his thumbs absently stroke my scalding skin; the feeling would be soothing if I wasn't so riled up. I decide to return the favour, feeling that I should be the one to make _him_ shiver for once.

I'm glad that I have _some_ control over my trembling hands. As I force my lips from his so I can kiss his unbelievebly smooth throat, I take the first button of his shirt and pop it open, letting my fingers slide under the fabric to feel the taut muscles of his chest. He moves his arm up from my waist to hold my head against his throat, his fingers weaving between strands of my hair. I suck against the spot where his pulse should beat; his rock skin doesn't give, but his throat vibrates with a small growl as the tip of my tongue slips between my lips to swirl against the cold skin, made almost warm by my own body heat.

I continue on my mission with the buttons of his shirt as my inadequate human teeth give small nips against the place where his neck meets his shoulder. I'm sure they don't feel anything more than tiny pricks against his impenetrable skin, but his heavy breaths against my shoulder beg me to continue.

I know in the moment that he decides to take the wheel again, because his hand drops from my head to lift my top up to my ribs. His fingers dance along the waistline of my jeans, sending immeasurable tremours through my lower belly. His strong shoulders shrug the remnants of his shirt away, leaving his perfect torso completely accessable to me. The only things intruding on his perfection are the heavy 'V' chain that comes to rest above his dormant heart, and the spiderweb thin white chain with the key to my collar on the end, hanging lower than his other necklace. It's the twin to Jane's, which has long since been burned. He keeps a small (but aggrivating) distance between our bodies so he can peel my top over my head.

And I surprise myself by tugging my arms free of it, as a little voice in the back of my mind wonders why I'm not scared shitless right now, but I ignore it.

For once in my short and eventful life, I actually know what I want.

My top joins Alec's shirt on the floor, and once again he captures my lips in a heated kiss. I try not to tremble when I feel him grow and harden against me, but an involuntary shiver tingles it's way down my spine. Deciding to shock him stupid, I lift my hips under his hands and rub my heated centre against the solid bulge. He gives a sharp grunt that sounds like a groan, and in a second his hands slide down to grab my thighs and hoist me up to straddle his waist. The action is so quick and unexpected that a gasp of shock breaks through my previously confident exterior, and I cling to his shoulders uncertainly.

His tongue licking along my collarbone makes my head spin dizzily, and one of my hands grips a fistful of his silky hair at the back of his head. He moves at the speed of light, and the next thing I know, I feel the silken fabric of the black duvet against my bare back.

"_Oh_," I gasp when I feel the weight of his body over mine. He doesn't halt for a second in his advances. His mouth moves from my collarbone down to the centre of my chest, pausing above my pounding heart long enough for me to regain my senses. Reaching down between us, I fumble clumsily with his belt buckle, and he chuckles.

"Always impatient," he purrs, his voice an octave lower than usual. However, his own hands tug at the button of my jeans, and my heart below his soft lips skips frantically as he lowers the zipper. I kick my Docs off impatiently, listening for the hollow thump-thump as they hit the floor.

"Lift your hips, Nyx," Alec breathes, and for once, I do as I'm told, my hips shaking a little as Alec eases my dark jeans down my thighs.

I feel a lot freer with them off, but also a lot more exposed, and when his hands slide deftly up and down my thighs, I bite my lip, feeling the tiny raised line where Alec once drew blood.

Alec surprises me by stopping my hand once I get his belt undone. He tuts at me, infuriatingly composed. "Patience, patience, little Nyx," he smiles, bordering on a wicked smirk.

Before I can demand what on this holy fucking _earth_ he wants to be patient for, he gives a sound akin to a snarl, before diving down and slicing my bra open with his teeth. I'm too shocked to even yelp as the straps go next, _snap snap_ under his razor teeth before his hand reaches behind my back and tears the ruined garment away from my body.

He leans up to kiss me yet again, giving my heart time to calm down somewhat, and once it does, my overwhelmed brain manages to take in how amazing my bare chest feels pressed closely to his. I feel the weight of his necklace resting on my chest, not nearly as cold as it should feel in comparison to his icy skin. My breasts begin to feel heavy, aching for his touch.

_Why isn't he touching me? What the fuck is he, a hermit?_

He answers my unspoken question soon enough, kissing his way downwards. The sensation of his cool lips on my skin makes me sigh, my head lolling back against the pillow, my eyes sliding shut as I absently draw my fingers slowly through the thick, dark mess of his hair. He seems to like it, and I remember what Eleazar told me about how Alec sits in front of Chelsea in their living room so she can brush his unruly hair.

My thoughts cut off abruptly and an embarrassingly loud gasp escapes my lips as Alec sucks a pebbled nipple into his mouth.

My body trembles all over as Alec suckles gently on my breast, encircling my aching nipple with his wet tongue.

"A- Alec," I choke, overcome by the heat swelling in my abdomen. He gives a soft purr – an actual fucking catlike purr! – against my heaving chest, reaching up with a free hand to pinch and rub my neglected breast.

My hands form fierce fists in his hair, using all my strength to keep him there. Except all my strength is like, fuck all nothing, so when he wants to move after several minutes, he does. He abandons my tingling breasts altogether and drifts down my belly, leaving a cool trail where his tongue and lips glide southwards. He breathes cool air in my bellybutton, making me squirm and give an uncharactaristic giggle. He gives one seemingly breathless laugh before lifting his head and using his arms to push himself up, so he can look me in the face.

"I don't want you to come too quickly," he decides, eyes dancing with danger that makes my stomach flip. "You are so young, so inexperienced. Hopefully this will help you to hold out longer."

He's too impatient to use his teeth this time as he rips my panties apart. My jaw drops in shock and outright terror. "_What-_"

"Shhhh," Alec soothes, his face suddenly level with mine. He touches his forehead to my own, his eyes sparking mischeviously, like Catherine Wheels on the fourth of July. "Just relax, Nyxie, just relax..."

His words fall on deaf ears as he disappears again, and he gently pries my thighs open. My hands grip the duvet beneath me, needing to cling to _something_, anything, to keep me grounded. It doesn't work.

He goes easy on me at first...if you can call it easy.

He kisses my inner thighs softly, distracting me as he places his thumb over my clit.

I inhale in a sharp gasp as he gets down to work immediately, rubbing persistant circles over my most pleasurable spot. I press my lips together, my eyes shut tightly. At first, it just feels very strange. But after a few delicate strokes, it starts to feel ridiculously wonderful.

My whole body trembles as the dull, needy ache in my lower region is overcome by pleasure that my body can hardly hold. The pleasure only stops for a half-second as his thumb is replaced by his tongue.

It only feels more incredible.

He's so cold, but that only makes it more intense. His wet tongue swirls my clit, sucking it expertly into his mouth.

"Oh, _oh_!" I cry, shuddering. Alec gives a soft sigh, and I feel the breath. His tongue draws lazy strokes over my sensitive nub, and when I'm so lost in the sensations that I can't even remember my own name, he pushes one finger into my heat.

My breathing catches roughly in my throat, and my body stills, waiting.

He begins moving his finger in and out of me, and the friction makes my mouth drop open.

"Alec, oh- oh _God_!" I scream, my hips rocking by themselves. He gives a breathy growl, his tongue and finger becoming more persistant. My back arches and my stomach muscles spasm, and he pushes a second finger inside.

"_OhmyGod_!"

Alec's fingers become virtual blurs as he pumps them in and out of me so swiftly that I can't even speak. And it feels so good.

And the pressure is building.

Faster.

Hotter.

Harder.

Alec lifts his head and moves up my body, still pounding his fingers into me.

"Open your eyes, Phoenix," he breathes in my ear, his teeth grazing my earlobe and making me shiver even more.

Wait, my eyes are closed? Huh. I hadn't noticed. When they flutter open, Alec presses his lips to mine. I can taste something foreign on them. Is that me?

"Come on Nyx, come on," he breathes, using his thumb to worship my clit again.

My whole body rocks as the intense pressure of pleasure builds and climbs and _builds_.

"_Alec_!" I scream, and suddenly I'm rising above my own body, consumed by the most beyond-belief feeling I've ever experienced. I can't feel myself thrashing until the pleasure subsides, and I become still again, breathing rapturiously.

"That's my girl," Alec purrs.

I feel the tip of his nose drift with feather lightness from my temple to my chin, and he moves back up to kiss my lips. The kiss is very sweet, very soft.

For an irrational moment, I think it's over.

It's _far_ from over.

He jumps swiftly to his feet on the floor, and in a fraction of a second, his jeans are tossed away carelessly. I push myself up, feeling a little weak and trembly, and hold myself upright on my hands. I feel my face heat as I realise that I'm completely naked in front of him, and my teeth dig into my lip uncertainly. But when I look up at Alec, all rational thoughts flee my head.

If I'd thought Alec looked deliciously deadly in his leather jacket, or even in his Volturi uniform, startlingly black on white skin, it was absolutely _nothing_ compared to how he looks wearing just his black boxers, strained with the swell of his erect cock.

He gives a wry smile at my witless expression. In the next second, his lips are on mine again. My hand flutters up by itself to hold him there, and he complies. Gently, he peels back the duvet and eases me inside until my back slides against the satin sheets. My next breath doesn't reach my lungs before he's situated between my open, naked thighs. I feel blood creeping up to my cheeks, and when Alec leans down slightly, effectively breaking the kiss, his feather-fanned lashes brush my flushed skin.

In an abrupt motion, his hand rips at his throat, and when I stare into his open palm, I see my key.

I blink like a spaz on crack. What the hell?

In a sure movement, Alec reaches for my neck and carefully takes the tiny lock in his thumb and forefinger. I'm still processing what's happening when the key and lock connect with a click, and my collar falls away in his hand.

I touch my bare throat, lips parted slightly as I stare into his face with something alike to awe.

He gives me a soft kiss, then pulls away too soon to look me in the eyes.

"I'm not into bondage," he smiles, amused. My own smile stretches slowly across my face, my teeth flashing. I give a breathless laugh and place my hands either side of his face, kissing him senseless.

Something occurs to me then: Why the _hell_ is Alec still wearing underwear?

When he pauses and stares meaningfully into my dilated eyes, I realise something else. He's giving me the choice. He's not forcing myself on me again. This time, it's _my_ decision.

And I couldn't make it fast enough.

With reassuringly steady hands, I run my thumbs along the inside of his waistband, and he gives an uncharactaristic shiver. Placing my lips back over his, I grip the fabric properly and ease it down. Alec helps, kicking them off impatiently.

My eyes slide closed and my lips cement together when I feel his freed dick against my thigh. Trying to act braver than my somersaulting belly tells me I feel, I reach down purpousfully. A hiss crackles on his lips when I take him in my hand, and I place a soft kiss on his exposed throat.

"_Phoenix_," he groans when I move my hand up and down. With his body pressed against mine, he almost feels warm.

His whole form is perfectly tense as I gain confidence, moving my hand faster, tightening my grip. He drops his head, breathing hard, pressing his face into the crook of my neck. His hair and short breaths tickle, and I squirm, feeling his lips stretch into a smile.

"Stop, stop," he breathes after a minute. I peer up at his face quizzically. Being careful to be gentle, he reaches down and takes my hand in his, interlocking our fingers. He brings our joined hands up until they're level with my face, and his finger strokes the apex of my thumb soothingly.

No words are spoken between us as he lines his shaft up with my entrance, and I can see the confliction in his features – knowing he has to be so careful, trying to fight his own cravings. He hesitates.

"Please," I breathe, cringing slightly at my own breathy tone. I sound like a moron.

He kisses me, and as soon as his lips graze mine, he pushes inside with determination.

Fire rips through me, and not the good kind.

"_Fucking hell!_"I cry, as an intense burning pain sets up home.

"I'm sorry, ssh. _God_. Shh," Alec pleads, sounding strangled. Within a second, I don't feel anything. It takes me a while to realise that Alec's strange mist is wafting around where our bodies are connected.

"I'm sorry, I know it hurts," Alec says, sounding a bit more composed. "Just try to relax."

"It doesn't hurt," I mumble. From my waist to my knees, I feel absolutely nothing. I don't feel him inside me, the sheets beneath me, or the pain.

Alec distracts me, kissing me firmly, playing a game of dominance with my tongue. Unsurprisingly, he wins. Which is as predictable as it is annoying.

He withdraws his gift slowly, gradually giving me my feeling back. He gives my body time to ajust to the size of him. When the mist clears altogether, the sting is minimal.

"_Oh_!" I gasp. Before, I couldn't feel him. Now, I feel nothing _but_ him as he fills me completely. I shudder, and a heated groan slips from his lips; he felt that.

"Are you alright?" Alec murmurs after a minute has ticked by. My slowly drawn kisses across his collar give my consent.

With a shuddered breath, Alec pulls out, the thrusts all the way back in.

"Oh," I whimper, feeling like such a little _girl_, but not being able to help it.

"Mmm, God," Alec gasps, sounding strained. I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my face into the hollow of his throat. He moves again.

It doesn't take long for him to build a rythem, and even _less_ time for both of us to start moaning.

"Alec, oh God! _Fuck_," I cry, unable to control my obnoxious volume or the words escaping my mouth. Alec seems to be having the same problem.

"_Phoenix!_ Ugh, oh shit," he chokes, his body gliding seemingly effortlessly over mine. The friction he's causing inside me is building up a white-hot heat, and it feels _remarkable_.

I feel a thin sheen of sweat break out across my skin, and he hoists my thigh above his hip, causing him to slide in deeper and making us both cry out. My long nails scrape along his smooth back.

"Fuck, oh fuck! Alec! Don't stop," I whimper, my voice dangerously close to a scream. "Please don't stop."

"Oh fuck, _oh Phoenix_, I'll never stop," Alec gasps rapturiously, his teeth clenching together. "O-Oh God, you're so hot inside." An unrestrained moan from this godlike creature sends light, sensational tingles flooding through my limbs.

Suddenly, I don't feel the mattress under my back anymore, and it takes me a minute to realise that Alec has flipped us over so I'm straddling him. A sharp gasp breaks through the sudden silence, and I realise that it's coming from me.

I breathe deeply, getting used to this new position. This way, I feel more of him. I feel how he fills up every inch of me, leaving absolutely no room. I'm sitting heavily on his pelvis, and the rough line of pubic hair tickles my clit, making me writhe. Alec gives an agonised groan.

Staring down at his face, I realise that he's feeling what I'm feeling, everything, a hundred times more intensely than I am. His heightened senses allow him to feel all the more.

Before I can feel jealous, I realise that for the first time since...well, fucking _ever_, Alec is at _my_ will.

In a spasm of bravery, I start rocking my hips, and he gasps. Smirking (and trembling, just a little bit) I rock with more determination. His body straightens, stiffens, and he moans deeply, rose petal eyes flashing open to focus on my face with intensity that feels like it's burning through my skin.

I experiment, lifting my hips and mimiking his earlier actions, letting him slip out of me almost completely. Taking a jagged breath, I let myself slide back down his shaft, and this time he isn't the only one moaning.

"God fuck, Phoenix," he cries, and I repeat the movement, moving faster, almost bouncing. A loud cry of pleasure rips from my throat; it feels beyond amazing. My breasts bounce against my chest almost uncomfortably. But when my eyes manage to focus on Alec's face, I forget it completely.

Alec's eyes are squeezed shut, his mouth open. His bangs quiver with silent trembles. A silly smile forms on my face; I've never seen him so vulnerable. Even lying in the infirmary, he was cocky and in control. Knowing that he's letting himself go on account of me makes a small wave of heat sprawl through my pelvic area.

I'm shocked out of my thoughts when my name flies from his lips.

"_Phoenix_!" He cries, his back arching a little. I whimper. "_Oh fuck_! Ah! Yes! Good girl, _oh God_, good girl."

He's close, I know that much. And so am I. I can feel the pleasure build again, waiting to knock me on my back.

Alec's eyes spring open suddenly.

In the same second, I _am_ on my back again, and Alec is on top of me.

He thrusts evenly, and the pleasure advances. I kiss him frantically as he works, and my nails claw at his back, my own torso arching. "Come on baby, please," he gasps.

I want to hold out longer. I want this to last forever. But within a minute of his desperate plead, my body spasms.

And it's better than before. The pleasure is _so much_ that I feel like my body's glowing from the inside out, and I'm not in control of my own actions. My head thrashes against the pillow and my back distorts almost unnaturally, and I scream.

My body gives, spent. My muscles unclench without permission and I flop weakly on the bed while Alec is still thrusting. And after the pleasure, his thrusts feel all the more fantastic. Weakly, I reach up with one hand to draw my fingers down his chest to his clenches abdomen, and one last, agonised cry strangles on his perfect, full lips.

His body shakes, and his teeth are clenched tightly, his eyes squeezed shut. I jump a little when I feel his release, cold and wet, spread within my heat. And he gives a mangled gasp of relief.

His eyes flash open, then slip almost completely shut. His lips are parted, and slow even breaths draw through them as he lowers himself down, pulling out of me.

I feel empty with him out of me, but he pulls me against his chest so quickly that I don't feel a personal absense.

Our chests heave simultainiously, even though he doesn't need to breathe. I think he's just keeping me company. With one remarkably steady finger, he pushes a strand of dark hair away from my face, pressing his lips to my forehead. His hand rubs my back soothingly.

"Are you okay?" He asks after several minutes.

I give a short, soundless laugh and touch his facem marvelling at his composure. "Are you?"

He smiles, nuzzling me slightly. "Never better."

I sigh, my arm sliding around his waist.

"You're tired again," he accuses, sounding playful.

"Am not," I protest, just to be difficult.

"Fucking humans," he sighs, but I know he's teasing.

"Fucking vampires," I reply, burrowing further into his chest.

The widest smile I've ever seen on him appears, radient and beautiful, as he pulls me closer to sleep.

It's the first time I've said the word.

**O_O**

**Yup, they did it. For real. I know, I'm shocked too :O**

**Oh, and my boytoy of two years is making me give him a shout out, because he gave me a few pointers for this chapter. He doesn't understand the term "get over yourself". Nah, just kidding. I love ya really babe xD**

**I would very much like some feedback, pleeeeeeeeeeeeease!**


	17. Howl

**PM hunter (soz babe I would have sent you a REAL PM but there was no link to an account) = That's actually a very good question, well Alec knew he had to be careful anyway, because she's just a teensy lil human and he has all that vamp strength, and when he realised that she'd been hurt, he also realised that his fears had been untrue, and thats what allowed him to let himself be so open and unbound with her. Hope that helps xD oh, and I like paragraph long reviews, they make me laugh xL**

**Also, thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed. I am dead serious when I say that if I knew where y'all lived, I'd run there to give you all a hug and a cookie xD**

**This chap is dedicated to Trulzxoxo, Renatasluz and Mikkiwritesyou for being diehard Alec/Phoenix enthusiests and for sticking from the very beginning. Y'all rock my socks so hard there's a hole in the toe.**

_The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound_

_I hunt for you with bloodied feet across the hallow'ed ground_

_Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins_

_I want to find you, tear out all of your tenderness_

_Satisfaction_...

That's really the only word to describe the calm, peaceful, all-round amazing feeling tingling throughout my entire body. The sun is streaming through the inch-wide parting between the heavy curtains, providing a sufficiant glow in the otherwise dim room.

I don't feel heavy, or dim. I feel like I'm floating, or some other corny shit like that. The only possible weight is the arm that's draped across my bare waist.

I'm actually surprised that he's still here. Not here, as in in this room. That doesn't surprise me at all, really. He's always lurking around here while I'm sleeping, watching me and being generally creepy. What surprises me is the fact that he's still lying next to me, his body curved around mine, his cheek resting lightly against the top of my head.

I sigh contently, and his nose brushes against my temple.

"Are you awake now?" He asks, his voice quiet and gentle. "I thought you were going to sleep the day away."

"I'm awake," I yawn, giving a stupid little grin when I feel the tips of his fingers brush with the lightness of feathers over the small of my back. What? It tickles, okay? I'm extremely ticklish.

His lips touch under my jaw, moving down my throat. Unthinkingly, I run my fingers through his impossibly soft hair, giving a tiny, uncharactaristic giggle when he purrs. The vibrations of this slightly weird vampire quality make my skin tingle.

Wow. I should get laid more often. I'm not usually such a morning person.

Alec continues to kiss my throat, moving along my collarbone. I can feel myself blushing, becoming irked with myself for my body's instant reactions to him. My leg is already thrown around the peak of his hip, my fingernails digging into his back. My breathing becaomes deeper and quicker. His body straightens so he can place his perfect angel pout over my own lips.

I kiss him back, trying to hold back a reactive moan as I feel his sweet tongue slip between my lips. He hasn't stopped purring, and it feels strange, to say the least. But good. Strange but good. Good but...strange.

Oh _whatever._

I'm a very reactive person. Actions first, thoughts later kinda deal. That's why the kiss becomes heated quickly. My hands roam freely over his godlike body, and he returns the favour; his strong hands caress my waist, my thighs. They drift upwards and I feel cold pressure against my naked breasts.

Well shit. I had totally forgotten that we were both starkers. Uh, well, not much I can do about that _now_, is there?

My back arches into his touch, and he gives a small grunt when I press my breasts further into his hands. His thumbs roll professionally over my pebbled nipples. I break the kiss first, my head lolling back against the pillow.

The cheeky fucker knows I'm distracted. He takes the oppertunity to dip one hand between my thighs, and he rests his thumb against my clit.

I gasp, shocked. He smirks. His thumb gets right down to work, rubbing my soft nub in a circular pattern until my thoughts are completely scrambled. I press myself further into his hand, my own hands grabbing fistfuls of his hair.

"Like that?" He chuckles, utterly smug.

Hmph. Well. Two can play at _this_ game. My hand moves swiftly over his chest and belly, down past the rough hair below his waist to his stiff member.

He gives a loud, strangled gasp when I take him in my fist.

"Nyx!" He hisses, his eyes squeezing shut. His thumb on my clit becomes more persistant, and I start pumping his cock quickly. His teeth clench in pleasure, and his hips begin moving wantonly into my hand.

I move back a little, rolling onto my back to give him more access, but suddenly his hand slides around my back and holds me still.

"Careful," he murmurs, sliding me over in the opposite direction. I turn to see why – there are great chunks gone out of the mattress, exposing the springs and metal bits. Some of them are jagged and sharp. "Don't hurt yourself."

I stare at the demloished furniture in surprise, and then a slow smirk spreads across my face. How the hell did I not notice this? I vaguely recall him taking his hands off me when he knew he was close, probably a precaution. But I hadn't been too observant as to where his hands _went_. Well...I guess now I know.

"You might need to fix that," I say, trying to sound serious. He gives a dark chuckle and presses his lips against mine, sliding my body carefully under his, his eyes blazing with lust.

He kisses along my throat, licking and nipping in a way that's almost playful.

"_Alec_! Shift! Up and at em, we have to go patrolling!"

Alec's blissful expression instantly morphs to one of frustration as Santiago's loud voice rings obnoxiously through the closed door. With a sighed growl, Alec replies.

"Ten minutes, alright? Fuck off!"

"Don't be rude," Corin's voice accompanies Santiago's, sounding playful.

"_I said fuck off_!"

Snickering, Corin and Santiago flee like giddy teens. Alec sighs.

"I have to go."

"I know."

Alec flops onto his back, running both his hands through his hair. "Those fuckers are a cold shower personified," he complains. I smirk.

"If you don't go, they'll bust down the door," I warn him. He looks up at me in disdain.

"You have no idea just how right you are," he grumbles. "Santaigo will probably have a video camera. You know how he is."

I do indeed. Santiago's kind of a technology freak. Once, because he hated a TV show, he sent severe computer viruses to the entire studio and all the equiptment crashed. It was actually one of his better schemes. Sometimes you'll see him wandering around the castle with a video camera in his hand, hoping to capture the Guards' funnier antics. Apparantly he has some good shots of Jane and Alec being all stupid shit, but he won't let me see. He says my entertainment isn't worth his life.

I disagree, but whatever.

I stretch lazily while Alec slides out of bed to get dressed, grabbing his pants off the floor. For once, I'm not yearning for more sleep. Glancing at the clock on Alec's nightstand, I realise that last night was probably the longest sleep I've gotten since I actually _arrived_ in Volterra. Probably because I wasn't woken up with a poke to the face.

Alec is dressed in an instant, so I don't have any time for a decent ogle. He spots me pouting as he straightens his collar, and grins. I am not a pouter. Pouting never gets me anywhere. Punching, on the other hand...

He kisses me softly, sliding his hand around to cup the side of my face. I sigh in disappointment when he pulls away. "Go downstairs," he suggests. "Get something to eat. I'll be back in an hour."

"Alright," I grumble, my hands searching for my bra on the end of the huge bed. Alec watches as I reach, spotting the clasp. I grab it and hold it up, and then my mouth drops open.

Alec grins boyishly when I see that the clasp is the _only_ thing holding it together. The front of the straps are disconnected from the cups, and the cups are disconnected from _eachother_. I unclip the clasp in disbelief, and am left holding two halves of what had _previously_ been my favourite bra.

When I glare at Alec accusingly, he ducks down and kisses my lips quickly, still grinning. "What? Don't blame me."

"It's your _fault_," I whine. Apparantly I'm not the only one who should get laid more often. I've never seen him in a better mood than he's in now.

While I'm trying to envision a mad sewing operation, Alec takes my face in both his hands and kisses me yet again.

This one is slow, luxurious, and reminds me of flowing, melted chocolate. When his tongue flicks at my lips, I instantly meet it with mine, and this time he's the one to sigh. Shivers dance across my skin, and I drop my baby (bab_ies_) to play with his shirt buttons.

"I'll make it up to you," he purrs, drawing his thumb slowly across my bottom lip while I stare into his divine face like a moron on morphine.

"Is that a promise?" I tease, and he gives a quiet laugh.

Suddenly, his eyes drift over my body, and his face turns anxious.

"What is it?" I ask, shielding myself with my arms. His eyes flash back to my face, his gaze softening instantly.

"Nothing," he whispers, taking my hands down, away from my body. "Nothing at all."

I bring his lips back to mine, and in the second that I do, there's another knock.

"Alec, we're leaving. _Now_."

Alec sighs and pulls away. "I'm coming, sister."

I know Jane is hovering outside, because Alec doesn't delay. Any other time I'd complain, but really, who _wouldn't_ be put off by their sister lurking outside their bedroom, listening? Hell_, I'm_ put off, and she sure as hell ain't _my_ sister.

God, imagine that! Jane and I, _related_. Shudder-worthy.

Alec says nothing, knowing that Jane can hear. But at the last minute a sly smirk replaces the genuine smile on his face.

My yelp of shock echoes through the castle as he gives my nipple a sneaky pinch before bolting out the door.

"Ow," I mumble to myself, rubbing my abused tit mournfully.

The fucker.

**vVv**

I get dressed slowly, taking my time. It feels nice not to be in a rush, not to have to dress at the speed of light to meet the needs of someone who could _kill_ me at the speed of light. I slip into a pair of black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with a breast pocket so tiny it couldn't hold more than a dime. I shrug a dark cardigan over my shoulders – there's a thin layer of snow outside. I wonder how I didn't notice Winter setting in. I pull on my rose-adorned Docs, cringing a little when my thigh protests.

Brushing off the pain, I wonder if things are going to change. I think about the Alec I had this morning, and the Alec I first met. Catastrophic difference there! Why is that, though?

The Alec I first came across was bitterly aggrivating, always doing his level best to make me feel pathetic and inferior. And next to him, feeling that way wasn't difficult.

The Alec I woke up to this morning...well, personality transplant much? The other Alec grew on me...eventually...after a _loooooooong_ time. But he did. However, this morning he was like a different person. It was refreshing, and weird. Very weird.

Do I like it? Which do I prefer, the soft, gentle Alec, or the rough, antagonistic one?

Ah, le question of life.

I shake my head (ignoring a twinge in my neck) and decide to go down for some food before my thoughts can ruin my happy mood.

**vVv**

I wander down the halls, gazing out each window at the sun battling it's way through the clouds. It had better fucking lose – I don't want anything endangering my snow. So suddenly that I barely realise, Felix is exaggeratedly sidestepping me.

"Whoa," he chuckles. "Dreaming, little Nyx?"

"Maybe," I grin. Felix is grinning so wide, I'm kinda worried his face might split in half. Actually, that might be kinda interesting...

"Fun night?" He asks, trying to sound nonchalant.

Horror flushes through my veins, followed instantly by embarrassment. "Heh?" I choke, trying to force the blush to retreat from my face. He's kidding. He's got to be kidding.

"My room is directly underneath Alec's," he smirks, pure and total evil. "And I hate to break it to ya, Nyx, but the floorboards ain't soundproof."

"You were _listening_?" I hiss, feeling hot and tingly all over, and not in a good way.

"I couldn't _help_ but listen!" Felix says, placing his palm across his forehead like he's got a bad headache. "I had to leave after a while. It got too hard to stomach."

I need help re-attatching my jaw to my face. Holy fucking hell! Felix was eavesdropping on the...uh...'events' of last night.

"Pretty hardcore, I have to say," Felix comments, like its a totally regular conversation. "Didn't know you had it in you, short shit."

"Thanks a lot," I grumble.

Suddenly, when Felix thinks I'm not looking, his eyes flash worriedly over my face.

"What?" I snap, my good mood rapidly disappearing. What is with all the fucking looking today? Do I look different? Or am I getting a hulk-sized zit? Awh shit, wouldn't that be wonderful? What a way to spoil the nice-ass day I'm having.

Son of a _bitch_, man! I've become one of those anal freaks who spazzes out over teeny little zits.

So this is what my life has come to; obsessing over zits that may or may not exist while having a casual chat with an enormous vampire about my sex life. I have to fight back a sigh.

"Nothing, nothing," he mumbles, brows knitted together. "How are you feeling?"

Feeling?

"Is that a perverted way of asking if I liked getting laid?" I ask, only semi-seriously. "Because if you have a different opinion to mine, I think you have a pretty damn depressing problem."

A sunny, evil smile breaks out across Felix's chisled jaws.

"Whatever you say, titch. Where are you off to? You'd better watch out for Demetri. He's on the prowl, and he's still pissed about his car."

Oh yeaaaaaaah. The car dealy. Jeez. Demetri seriously needs to remove the Italian flagpole from his ass.

"Just getting some breakfast," I say.

"Me too," Felix winks. "So, after last night, how much do you think Alec would care if I ate you right now?"

"BYE, Felix!" I yell as I stomp away from him. I can still hear his omg-I'm-the-funniest-dude-EVAR laughter when I'm hopping down the staircase.

I walk at a leisurely pace down towards the kitchen. It's still a lot of work to brush off the rush of grief, but this morning, I have other things to occupy my mind. The rush of pink is just fading from my cheeks as Gianna clippety-clops as she usually does into our shared domain. I'm standing at the counter, pouring milk to my Lucky Charms (fuck yes, fistpump!)

"Chewtoy," she greets me with distaste.

"Menu escapee," I reply.

"Look who's talking."

I turn around with my bowl in one hand, armed with a spoon, and go to sit at the table, using another chair as a footstool. Gianna perches daintily on the edge of her chair, her Iphone cradled lovingly in her hand. An Iphone that she didn't really appreciate having snatched from her pocket and played with (and dropped...once or twice...down a stairwell). She doesn't look at me until I grumble, feeling my back ache.

She gives a tiny gasp when she catches sight of me. She stares and stares, even when I give her my most furious glare.

"Okay, _what_ the fuck is up with all this staring, woman?" I snap. Her eyes don't leave my face.

"So he finally...?" She trails off, making a movement with her hands that can really only be described as outwardly _wanking_ the air. "Well, it took longer than I expected."

She's acting like she knows. How the fuck does she know?

"What the fuck are you talking about?" My voice is icy sharp, and her brows raise. Out of her skirt pocket she pulls a compact mirror, and offers it to me.

"See for yourself."

I flip it open in irritation and am met by a nausiating sight.

My jaw, cheeks and throat are almost completely darkened by light, fresh bruises. My lips are swollen slightly and dark. Gingerly, I ease back the collar of my shirt and see yet more bruises. Swallowing deeply, I drop the mirror. The reflective surface pops out of the plastic surrounding and cracks against the hard tiled floor. Gianna's angry exhale and my sharp breaths are the only sounds in the room until she starts squawking.

"Little bitch!" She screeches. "That was my best mirror!"

_"Little bitch," Alec hisses furiously, grabbing a hank of my own hair near the roots. I give a yelp of pain and try not to move, knowing that it'll just hurt more._

Gianna fumes and cusses at me as she snatches up the remnants of her mirror.

_"What...what did you do to me?" I choke. All witty comebacks on my part soar out the window. My wrist is encircled with bruises. Distinctly, handprints._

"Think I give a shit?" I mumble, thinking.

"_They do try to be careful with us, but they're very strong. A thousand times stringer than we are." As Benjamin speaks, he lifts his pearl grey shirt up, exposing big black and blue bruises across his abdomen._

Gianna's furious words are like annoying little buzzes, like bees that swarm and swarm until you want to do nothing but chase them with a swatter and bug spray. Sadly, since I have neither at reach, I'm forced to stand and listen as she rants.

"You know what? I wish he'd killed you! Maybe then I wouldn't have you under my feet twenty four fucking seven-"

My eyes flash back to the table, where my full cereal bowl rests, untouched. Gianna prattles on.

Reaching out with one hand, I lift the bowl with one aching arm and hurl it at her like I'd hurl a frizbee. I'm running before it hits her, and her strangled scream of rage screeches like a siren in my ears as I flee up the staircase, ignoring the aches and throbs of my protesting limbs that hadn't hurt as badly until I'd given them attention.

**vVv**

As soon as I enter my bathroom, I breathe shakily, preparing myself. My back and arms hurt as I strip down to my underwear. Unclipping my bra, I step out in front of the mirror.

My throat dries instantly and a lump forms as I look at my battered body. My arms have patterned bruises, obviously handprints, adorning them. My wrists and even my fingers are peppered with dark shadows. My stomach is alright, but my breasts are blackened painfully, and when I reach with one horrified hand to touch them, they ache almost unbearably. My hips and outer thighs are like my arms – spattered with shadowed handprints. But my inner thighs are the worst of all, coloured blue and black and even yellow in some places by harsh bruising.

I look like I got hit by a fucking truck.

I swallow convulsively, cringing at my own reflected image. I blink, and when my eyes flash open again, Alec is standing behind me. I gasp sharply, reaching for my robe which rests on the marble countertop.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly, his red eyes glassy as he looks me over before I can cover myself. As I tie the robe tightly around my frame, he steps closer until his chest is an inch from my back. I give a small shudder as his cold finger touches with feather lightness to the corner of my jaw. "I wasn't careful."

There's a tense silence between us, and I inhale in a trembled breath. "Well...I'm not dead," I say finally, when the silence becomes too much. "Uh, that's good, I guess."

Alec gives a harsh snort. "Wonderful. _That's_ your silver lining? 'Hey Alec, congratulations on not killing me!' "

His expression is nothing short of disgusted as he steps around to stand in front of me, blocking my view of the mirror. "Get dressed and go back into the bedroom, right now."

He disappears. Trembling (partially out of fear, but more so out of anger), I do as I'm told.

Alec is leaning against his desk, one hand supporting himself, the other covering his face as he breathes harshly. He doesn't seem to notice when I come back in. He doesn't move or twitch or anything. He stays that way for a half-minute until I can't bear the tension any more.

"So are you going to stay there and sulk all fucking day, or what?" I snap, anxiently rolling through my body.

Alec's head whips up, expression angry.

I guess the Alec from earlier, only half an hour ago, is gone. The asshole has made an unsurprising reappearance, and I take this on board bitterly. My euphoric mood from this morning is long gone too.

So much for the old Alec and Phoenix. Looks like the old pair like their place in the world too much.

"Angry?" I sneer, my hands forming fists of my shirt as his teeth bare.

"_Yes_," he spits, lurching to his feet and appearing in front of my face. I stumble back a step, unnerved by his glare.

I'm angry at _myself_, more than I am at him. Because I'm a naive little idiot who thought this fucker might actually change. Because despite what a dick he is, I still _want_ him, crave him. And I don't know why. His touch brings pain, just as much as it brings pleasure. Have I become such a masochist that I actually want that?

It makes my stomach ache to think of how much he's infested me. He's made his way inside me (both figuratively _and _literally) and he's caved me out so he could infect me and change me and mould me until there's nothing left but his girl.

_"For somebody so very little, you're extremely stubborn,"Alec says emotionlessly. "Why do you refuse to accept the inevitable? You belong to me. You are my property. I own you. I can call you what I like, dress you how I like, speak to you how I like, do to you what I like."_

He's always made his intentions clear. But what can I say? I'm a suckish listener.

"Hey, it was your fucking call," I say, not bothering to restrain the sharpness in my voice.

"I gave you the choice," he hisses furiously.

He did. I chose.

His lips are pulled back over his teeth with anger. "It was your fucking decision."

"Oh yes, what a great choice I had!" I yell, my vision clouding with angry tears. I blink furiously. "Let you fuck me or face your rages. Thank you for giving me those _wonderful_ options."

"I didn't hear you complaining," he smirks crudely. The tears advance as I recall the sweet, passionate touches he gave me last night. He was so gentle, so open.

It's all gone now.

My frame freezes. Since when have I become such a...such a _girl_? Whimpering over the tenderness of the experience instead of just accepting that it was a good lay, dealing with the consequences, and moving on?

Three months ago, that's exactly what I would have done.

_What did he do to me?_

"Bastard," I spit shakily.

Suddenly, he sighs. His offensive position relaxes and his eyes close. Mine drop to the floor, not wanting to look at him again. The tip of his finger grazes the corner of my eye, and a tear drips. He sighs again.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs.

"Sure," I scoff, trying to step out of his grasp. He holds on insistanly.

"I am," he insists. I'm the one who sighs this time, not knowing how to take this. Do I believe him? Do I open myself up for him to burrow inside and make me into his little pet again? Or do I push him away and risk him becoming furious again?

"How many times have I made you cry now?" He wonders aloud. "Twenty? Fifty?"

I snort. "Don't flatter yourself."

His smile is so strained that it looks out of place. "Listen," he says, voice smooth and soft. "I'm leaving for a few days...some Romanians started tearing up parts of Bulgaria and beyond...Aro thinks they're turning it into some kind of headquarters. We can't afford for them to have that kind of leverage, so I'm going there with Felix, Demetri, Jane and Renata to see if we can end something ugly before it begins."

I skewer him with my eyes. "And I suppose that I'll be locked up here in the duration of your absence?"

He places his hands very lightly on my hips and sighs, lifting one hand to push a strand of hair off my bruised face. "No," he sighs. "Despite being pointless with your knack of escaping anything, I'm going to let you have your run of the place."

He sounds like he's making the decision on the spot. He waits for my reply.

"I broke Gianna's face with a cereal bowl," I announce, for lack of anything better to add to the conversation.

Alec's chuckle almost sounds forced. "Took long enough."

I tut and he places his hands lightly on either side of my face.

"Are you ever going to show me your real face?" I ask. A small, almost shy smile makes my heart skip as Alec looks at me through his bangs.

"Probably not."

Alec's lips touch mine with exaggerated carefulness, and with an inward eye-roll, I mould my body against his. His lips become more persistant when I kiss him back, though I don't know why I do. Why aren't I pushing him out the window right now?

Curses on his boyish charms. And fuck my girlish hormones, too!

"Try not to get killed," he demands when he pulls away.

My eyes roll like marbles, and I fix him with a glare thats almost real. "I'll try my best."

The team departs that evening, clad in their dark cloaks with lighters in their pockets and flamethrowers strapped to their wrists. The sky is heavy with dark clouds, threatening another snowfall. Jane, pulling her hood up over her blonde bun, gives me an extra special snarl when she catches my eye. I wave, smiling perkily, unable to pass up the oppertunity to piss her off. I guess she's a tad bit put out that I did her brother.

"Jane," Alec says sternly, straightening his cloak around his shoulders. Felix grins.

Jane turns her angry scowl on him, storming past him out into the dark without a word.

Yeah...just a _tad_ bit put out.

The others follow her out. Demetri dodges around me to get outside, and I frown at him.

"What, no goodbye?" I cry, trying to sound saddened. He ignores me and flees. Alec chuckles.

"Be good," he orders.

"Am I ever?"

"Good point," he rolls his eyes. Placing one last, soft kiss over my lips, he darts away into the falling night.

**vVv**

As I walk lazily around the castle, trying to find something to do. I pass the Library, but shake my head with a smile, deciding that Caius' thin-wearing temper wouldn't stand for it if I decided to make a fort out of the ancient volumes...again.

Sighing, I perch on a windowsill, leabing my back agains the wall and throwing one leg up, keeping one foot planted firmly on the ground to balance myself. There's enough moonlight to permit a sufficient view of the castle grounds, coated in a thick layer of white.

My eyes dance over the picture, but my mind is a hundred years away, thinking with fierce determination until my head hurts.

"You look very confused," a warm, liquidly femenine voice seeps through my thoughts.

Chelsea hovers close by, her lovely dark waves falling over her shoulders as her head tilts to the side, expression quizzical. She sits on the window opposite mine, crossing her long legs under her extravagant gown. "Thinking hard?"

I shrug, trying to force a smile. "There's a first time for everything."

"So it appears," she smiles. "Do you ache a lot?"

I don't know which is worse, Alec's sister plotting my death because I slept with her brother, or the woman who's practically his _Mom_ asking if I'm hurt after her son had extremely rough sex with me.

"Erm, no," I quip, trying to hide behind my hair so she won't see the blush.

"Very well," she says, the look on her face saying that she doesn't believe a word of it.

"So," I say, trying to appear nonchalant. "What imparting wisdom do you have for me this time?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, every time you randomly appear, I get some more insight into Alec's head," I say, and she gives a soft smile, her pale face raidiant.

"That is true," she admits. "And I also know why you're so confused."

Oh jeez...

"Are his mood swings making you dizzy yet?" She smiles, looking a little smug, which I do not understand.

"Kind of," I squirm under her gaze. I feel like there's a neon sign blazing above us saying 'YO! AWKWARD CONVERSATION RIGHT HERE!' My eyes drop to the floor and I fumble with the fabric of my jeans, avoiding her face. Would it be rude if I, like, ran away with all my speed? Or threw myself backwards out the window? Somehow I think Chelsea would take that the wrong way...

Also, I seem to have spawned from the Land of the Gutter-Brains, because suddenly my thoughts are dragged twenty-four hours back in time and I'm suddenly thinking thoughts that shouldn't be thunked (yes, _thunked_) in a public place...especially with not one, but _two_ mind readers prowling around.

Chelsea's smile turns soft, and I catch the undercurrent of excitement in her voice when she speaks; "You're not the only one who's confused. He's also angry with himself because he hurt you when he knew he had to be careful. He's afraid of how you feel about him – do you see him as a potential lover, or the suppressive tyrant you've known? – and which option would be better for the both of you?"

I blanch, embarrassment flushing my veins. "He told you all this?" Damn, did Chelsea love awkward conversations or what?

Chelsea shakes her head, eyes rolling. "Of course not. Alec, opening up? It's a sight rarely seen, even with his sister and I. No, Aro and Marcus told me."

She gives me a silent minute to ponder this. Aro's mindreading power would give him all these answers, but Marcus? What's his deal?

Chelsea spots the question in my eyes. "Marcus's power is alike to mine. He doesn't manipulate relationships, he senses them. It certainly comes in useful for sniffing out spies or traitors, but it has other benfits aswell."

"Oh," oops. Damn, why did she have to tell me that? Now two out of three Creep Bro's are gonna know how I feel about...people...and how people feel about me in return. Before I do! That's just mean. And I don't like that. _I_ like being the mean one.

Chelsea rises from her seat and does something unexpected. She cups the sides of my face in both hands, thumb stroking gently over the bruised skin. The cold is soothing. "You'll heal," she says. "And maybe..." She bites her lip. The action makes her seem somehow younger, more unsure than the confident, full-grown vampire woman I know. "Maybe he will, too."

She walks briskly away. I'm left with my thoughts and the drifting snowflakes on the opposite side of the window.

After a few minutes, I'm no longer alone. I turn to glare at my intrudor (the nicer part of me reminds me that I'm sitting in the middle of the halls and people can pass at will...but the stubborn part of me revs my temper), expecting to see Santiago or Felix, who frequently appear to annoy me. But it's not one of the Volturi, it's a Cullen.

In the soft light provided by the glowing torches, he looks gentle, almost shy. But on second glance, it's an entirely different story.

The honey-blonde male looks on me with hunger, his gold eyes dark, and I wonder if my jumping-out-the-window plan was an entirely bad idea after all. My heart rate speeds up a little. He shakes his head a little and I see him take his thumbs in his fists. He blinks, and he becomes as reserved as he usually appears whenever I see him around the place.

"I apologise," he says, and it's the first time I've heard his voice. He's got a trace of an accent that I can't place. The thirst vacates his eyes, and he becomes perfectly still, not breathing. "Esme wanted to see you..."

Esme, Carlisle's wife. I blink, confused. I've exchanged, what, _two_ words with her over the entire duration of her stay?

"Why?" I ask, baffled. He permits himself a small smile.

"She worries for your safety. She thought the best time to talk to you would be to wait until you were...unguarded," his jaw clenches a little. "And we're leaving in the morning."

"You are?" I say, standing up from my uncomfortable position. He nods.

"Will you come with me?"

"Sure," I say. The Cullens are puppies. What possible harm could they bring me? He glides smoothly away.

"What's your name?" I ask as I jog after him. He makes no move to pick me up or even touch me. The entire time we walk, he keeps a solid distance between us, and not once does he take a breath.

"Jasper," he replies after a moment.

Jasper takes me to Carlisle and Esme's room, where the couple in question are tamely folding clothes and packing them away into suitcases. They look up and smile when Jasper pushes te door open without knocking.

"Phoenix," Esme's smile is beaming with delight. Uh, am I that nice a person to warrant this kind of welcome? I've underestimated myself, it seems.

Jasper vanishes, and Esme's caramel curls waft lightly around her shoulders as she dances around the bed to greet me.

"How are you feeling?" She asks, her smile morphing from one of welcome to one of sympathy.

"I'm...fine?" I reply, unable to keep it from sounding like a question.

Her motherly fingers ghost uncertainly over my bruises while I fight back a grumble of annoyance. Why is _everyone_ in this damned castle so fucking concerned about my sex life?

"I don't think you'll be remaining human for much longer," Carlisle says suddenly. Bile rises in my throat. What the fuck? I don't get a chance to pose my next hysterical questions before he prattles on.

"But throughout the rest of your stay, incase anything should happen," he produces a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Here," he says, handing it to me.

I unfold the paper, only to see addresses and phone numbers in Carlisle's neat looped writing.

"It's our current address and phone number, as well as my pager and the hospital where I work," Carlisle says. "In case of emergency."

I blink, overwhelmed by his kindness. Esme gives a musical laugh and Carlisle only seems a bit surprised when I fling my arms around his neck.

**vVv**

The Cullens leave before sunrise, taking their half-blood and wolf-man with them and the tense atmosphere in the castle lifts instantly. Corin gives a delighted whoop down in the main hall.

"Fuck yes! No more good behavior!" She squeals, bouncing up and down as if the bottom of her pink converse are lined with springs.

"Quiet down, dear," Aro says, unable to supress a small smile. Corin quiets, still swaying giddily.

I think I'm the one here who's actually going to miss the Cullens. Except maybe for Chelsea and Afton, who had long long discussions with Carlisle and Esme. I sit cross legged by Chelsea's feet while she talks to Heidi, my two index fingers glued inside a Chinese Finger Trap, which Santiago flicked at my head to keep me entertained. I scowl at my entrapped fingers when Gianna knocks on the huge double doors and lets herself in, an envelope displayed regally on a silver tray. The letter is not flat, it has a strange bulk.

She gives a small curtsey before Aro, who beckons her to the three inhabited thrones. Marcus seems as bored as ever, but Caius turns his head sideways in interest.

"And who is his from, dear Gianna?" Aro asks, his voice sugary. It makes me feel all fuzzy warm inside watching her tremble before her Master.

"I-I'm not sure Sir," she stammers. "I found it on my desk after I left for lunch."

Upon this answer, Caius looks like he'd like to have a little _lunch_ of his own. I wonder if he'd protest for me running to get a video camera beforehand?

"Well, who is it from?" He asks impatiently, as Aro uses his fingernail to slice the top of the letter open.

"_YES_!" I yelp suddenly, making everyone in the room jump in shock. Caius fixes me with a fierce scowl. I smile wryly, waving a free finger. "Got it out."

Santiago throws me a wicked grin from across the room. Aro sighs over me but says nothing.

Everyone waits for Aro to announce the letter's relevence. He pulls out a piece of paper, and out of the envelope, a chain falls.

Aro stoops to pick it up, looking shocked. It's a Volturi necklace. I recognise the individual personal charm attatched to one of the loops. Chelsea takes a lurching step forward. It's Jane's.

We're all silent as Aro reads. He reaches back uncertainly, sinking weakly into his throne like an old man. The room is completely silent.

"Aro?" Marcus drones.

Aro's faded red eyes are wide, his lips parted in shock. The letter is crumpled in his fist

"_Aro_," Caius snaps, like a dog with a vicious bite. Aro seems to snapout of his shock, blinking repeatedly. When he speaks, his voice is hushed and gravelly. It's like his true age is showing.

"The Romanians," he says, eyes focusing on nothing, roving helplessly around the room. A small thrill of fear tingles down my spine. What are those lovely folks up to now?

"Yes?" Caius presses.

"They have our Guard," Aro says, sounding completely perplexed. "And the Cullens, too. They're all trapped within the Romanian's castle. Vladmir and Stefan say that, our loved ones will be killed off one by one until we surrender our thrones."

**I KNOW! I AM SO FRICKIN EVIL! Also, many sorries for the slow update but I've been tres busy lately.**


	18. Taking Over Me

**Just realised that I've never done a disclaimer before! LOLWHOOPS. So yeah, I don't own twilight, the characters or blah blah de blah, but I do own Phoenix, Benjamin, and a new character John and his power.**

**THIS IS A HUUUUUUUUUGE DEDICATION RIGHT HERE! TheRealKayT reviewed a whole shitheap of times to help me get to two hundred, this is TOTALLY dedicated to her xD**

_I believe in you,_

_I'll give up everything, just to find you,_

_I have to be with you, to live, to breathe,_

_You're taking over me..._

When Chelsea finally lets me leave the trembling cage of her arms, I don't know what to do. I wander aimlessly while the hysterical screaming babble is still going on down in the hall. I don't know how to take it in.

It also makes absolutely fuck all sense.

I mean c'mon! The Cullens and the Volturi together have, what? Mind reading, future seeing, tracking, sensory paralysis, pain illusion, a mental _and_ a physical shield, and a fucking werewolf! It must have been one balls-out attack to cripple all that shit. And from what I've seen, the Romanians are pansy-assed fighters. Which means they must have their own talents locked away all safe and warm while the pawns do all the fighting.

I lean against a cold stony wall and bury my face in my hands, thinking back over the past fifteen minutes.

Aro had looked...well, like utter shit. Vampire beauty be damned, the guy looked about ready to upchuck. Caius's scowl almost crumpled his skin and Marcus's dreary eyes took on a new life, and it wasn't a good one. Afton had needed to slip his arms under Chelsea to stop her from crumpling, and her eyes stared into nothing as she gripped me in her arms like a child with a security blanket, drawing her fingers roughly through my hair. Santiago and Corin were for once, sober and quiet, Corin biting hard on her lower lip like a child, her eyes glassy. Heidi had leaned against a marble pillar with her hand over her mouth and her eyes squeezed shut like she was trying hard not to cry.

It was so frightening, seeing these immovable, indestructable, confident objects crumble and wilt into pathetic weeping masses before my eyes.

Afton stroked Chelsea's white cheek and drew her attention back to him, giving me the chance to slip under her arms and escape. When I left the hall, I'd rambled uselessly around the castle until I had the idea of going up on the roof.

Newsflash: Heights still scare me shitless. I'd only ever been on the roof once before, when Alec took me. The reason I'd only been up there once was because I took one peer downwards and freaked out, throwing myself at Alec so I wouldn't die and fall. He'd told me it was one of his favourite spots, because he had a hankering for astronomy and it was quiet enough to hear yourself think without the chaotic Guard interrupting your every whim. He had installed a little door in the roof where no one could see it, and the only way to get there was through the dank old attics.

So minding out for cobwebs and rats and enormous spiders (did I mention that spiders in Italy are like, fucking _monstrosities_? Seriously! They're like the size of baseballs! Alec got a real kick out of hearing me shriek over them) I decided to be brave for like, the first time _ever_, and go up and face my fear. Because being terrified over heights was a hundred times better than being terrified over kidnap.

So here I am. Luckily some parts of the roof are flat and I've managed to set up home on one of those. There are too many snowy clouds to see any stars, and the only light I get is from the moon, whenever the clouds drift aside. Also, it's fucking _freezing_! But here I am. Being brave. And _not_ looking down, because I don't have a vampire to jump on this time.

After what feels like centuries moving sluggishly by, the clouds clear completely from around the moon, and all of Volterra is illuminated, stunning and glittering white.

I sigh, seeing all the snow-topped roofs with humans nestled safe and cosy underneath, ignorant and happy.

"Do you hate me for bringing you here?" A quiet voice asks, catching slightly on a sob.

I'm getting used to people popping up out of nowhere, so Heidi's sudden appearance doesn't startle me. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

She comes to stand beside me, as white and cold as the snow. She casts her own tearless gaze over her city, looking understandably upset.

"I've hated people for less," I sigh.

A peaceful silence falls between us. After a moment, Heidi inclines her head, hearing something I can't. I concentrate, and after a moment, I hear a tiny sound. A baby wailing in a closeby house. Heidi sniffs again.

"I figure I owe you a fragment of truth," Heidi says, sounding like she might cry. "I probably owe you a fucklot more."

"Probably," I allow.

Heidi's gaze zeros in on a sudden light, from the house. I see a blurry, dark figure reaching inside what I assume to be a crib, and retrieving something very small. The tiny sound quietens, and Heidi sighs. The sound is shaky.

"I lost a child," Heidi says, her voice soft and agonised. I blink, taken aback by the sudden revelation.

"Oh," is all I can force from my lips. Heidi doesn't look at me as she speaks. Instead, her gaze lingers on the baby in it's mothers arms.

"Sulpicia, Aro's wife, was meeting up with him in New York back...a long time ago," her pause makes me wonder if she even remembers how long ago it was. "They were getting ready to depart for Volterra, when at the last minute she decided to hunt. On her expedition, she came across me in an alleyway. She smelled the blood.

"When she found me, I was eight months pregnant, and in the middle of a miscarrage," the pain in Heidi's voice is so obvious, it stings. "I had fallen pregnant by a man I was in love with. But he never loved me in return. He was engaged to another woman," her straight nose crinkles in disgust. "When I told him that I was pregnant with his child, he told me to leave and never come back, or he would kill me. But I was determined to love my child."

Her beautiful features twist into a sneer. "He was my first meal."

She continues; "Sulpicia picked me up and took me back to Aro.

" 'A pregnant woman,' he said simply. 'What use could she be to us?'

" 'Aro, look at the girl! She's beauiful beyond measure. What better to draw in our meals?' Sulpicia argued.

"Aro told me that at first, he had thought I was in labour. But I was half unconscious by this stage, and bleeding. He realised that my pregnancy was in danger."

Her ruby eyes glow with unshed tears. "I remember opening my eyes long enough to see him with a small knife. Then, the pain got worse," her eyes squeeze shut. "He aborted my baby, and bit me, changing me into a vampire. After...after the transformation, Sulpicia held my hand, and told me that my daughter had been a stillborn.

"They let me hold my dead daughter," she says, her body trembling with sobs. "She had been so beautiful, so tiny," she weeps. "Sulpicia had a suggestion, and I agreed. We went to hunt my baby's father, and when every drop of blood had been drained from his body, I placed her in his stiff arms and buried them together."

My throat is dry, envisioning the pain of losing a baby. I can't even imagine it. I cried when my freaking goldfish died, for fuck sakes.

"They took me to Volterra after that, and I've been here ever since," Heidi sighs, her cold breath drifting into the night.

Another silence occurs, but there's no peace. It's filled with pain and memories. Heidi doesn't so much as blink when I slip my painfully chilled hand into hers.

"I don't hate you," I say, offering what tiny fragment of comfort I can.

She inhaled deeply, and her next word is carried on a sigh. "Good."

After another minute of quiet, I ask; "Do you love Demetri?"

More silence, and her grip on my hand tightens.

"I do."

And the light in the house with the mewling child quenches, leaving us in the dark.

**vVv**

I don't sleep at all that night, though I might as well have. I'm completely forgotten amist the chaotic panic. People are over the shock. They're ready for action. The remaining Guard are waiting for orders that Aro can't give. What's he gonna say, really? 'Sure guys, traipse off on a suicide mission to rescue the more talented part of the Guard and hand yourself over to the Romanians?' That seems like it'd be a suckish plan to me.

Caius is at his peak of rage, screaming like a mad person every time someone twitches. I keep out of his way at all costs – being decapitated by an angry Santa's-Evil-Twin vampire is not on my list of Top Ten Things to do Before I'm Eaten.

I spend most of my time brooding, be it in my room, in the kitchen, or leaning my head against the steering wheel of Alec's car, waiting for someone to come and inform me that we've come up with more nothing than usual.

I've actually become so desperate for progress that I've been doing something really embarrassing – I've been working on my little mind-control thing. It's only worked like, twice in my whole life, and I think Afton thinks I hate him because I've been staring at him with such concentration that he asks why I'm glowering at him. And fuck all's happened in the power department anyway, so I've given up.

On _that_ plan, at least.

Afton's not the only thing I've been glowering at. I've been poring over a map of Europe, trying to calculate the distance between Italy and Romania with a cracked ruler that I found lying around. No such luck. Also, Romania has a _lot_ of freaking castles. It's a great big fatass country, how the fuck am I meant to know which "legendary" castle has my vampires holed up in the basement?

And this needs to be figured out with intelligence, level-headedness, and pure logic...

**vVv**

"Alright, _what_ the fuck damn castle is it?" I demand, throwing my detailed Atlas into Santiago's lap.

He blinks, looking surprised. "What?"

"Well, Romania has a whole shit lot of castles, which one is _the_ one?"

"Why?" Santiago asks, his eyes tightening.

Whoa oh. "Just wondering."

His face doesn't unclench as he spins the book around, takes a slim white knife, and drops the tip of the blade to a single point on the map, reeling out a foreign word; the name of the castle. I memorise it, hoping that when the time comes, I'll remember it.

"Thanks man," I say, grabbing the Atlas and slipping my fingers between the pages to keep them open.

I turn to walk out, but just as I take one step towards the door, Santiago is in front of me, blocking my way with his hands on his hips. His eyes are narrowed.

"...Dude...what's up?"

"You're planning something," he accuses. I try to fake shock and hurt, but he wags his finger in front of my face. "You've got that determined plotting look about you."

"Do not!" I protest.

"Oh you know you do so!"

I try to stare him out, wondering if my nonexistant mind control dealy would be so nice as to kick in at any moment...but it doesn't, and being an undead vampire and all that, his glare is much fiercer than mine.

"Alright _fine_," I growl eventually. "I was maybe...possibly...kinda planning on going to Romania to scope the place out...y'know...get inside info and all that shit."

His eyes widen comically with every word. "That is, by a _fucking long shot_, the most ridiculously _moronic_ plan you've _ever_ thought up!" He explodes.

"Is not!" I protest, feeling the need to defend my ridiculously moronic plan. Because even _I_ know how retarded it is. Please! A little human marching into a household of crazed vampires who've tried to kill me twice, demanding that they please let the prisoners out right nowlike? Ah, nah.

"Oh, but it is," Santiago scoffs. But somehow he doesn't seem as insistant. A ragged sigh backs up my observation. "But at least you've _got_ a damned plan. Aro and the others don't have a clue."

"Please please pleasey please don't tell them!" I beg, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and yanking upon every plead. His stone body doesn't budge with my shaking, but his pristine shirt crumples in my grip. "I'm begging, man! Please! It's a lot more complex than what you think! Truly genius, really!"

"Geni-ASS, more like," he butts in. But, rolling his eyes, he pries my hands from his clothes and holds my hands together. "And stop freaking out, Nyx. I'm not going to tell."

"You're not?" I say hopefully.

"No," he sighs. "I'm going to help you."

**vVv**

With Santiago on my side, planning my plan goes a lot smoother...mostly because he stops me from having vicious arguements with myself and rambling away on a pointless rant...or five.

"Here," he says, handing over what looks like a cop badge. But when I flip the square, black leather flap back, there's a 'V' badge there instead. "This will get you anywhere you want to go without needing money or leaving a trail. But it only counts inside the Italian border – every human in the transport business of Italy knows not to question it – but once you cross over into Romania, you're on your own." He gives me a black wallet with five hundred Euros folded up neatly inside. "This is for getting home again. It's Demetri's – I thought you'd get a kick out of it," he grins, a little sadly.

"At least you're optimistic about my chances of _coming_ back," I say, feeling a bit braver about the whole thing. "But...why can't you come with me?" He's told me that he can't leave Volterra to accomany me, even though a big bad Volturi Guard on my side wouldn't half come in handy right now.

"They'll notice if I suddenly disappear. They'll know immediately what I'm up to, and they'll come after us and drag our sorry asses right back home again. Aro's keeping everyone under seriously tight reign right now," he grimaces. I roll my eyes. It's true, Aro's behaving like a serious mother hen. "But I can cover for your absense easily enough. If Aro questions your whereabouts, I can just say you're sleeping or eating or showering or whatnot," his grimace morphs to a grin.

"I'm glad my human needs amuse you so much," I say sourly. "So how am I getting there? Bus?"

He completely misses my sarcasm. "Don't be silly. Not bus – train. You'll have to take two, one to the Italian border and then one beyond. Maybe a bus trip or two, I don't know."

"You don't know fucking _much_."

"Excuse my lack of information on the Italian-Romanian train scheduals, _your Highness_."

"I'll think about it. Why can't I just drive?"

"You? In a car? I dread the thought!" He amends when I scowl. "They know our cars, and they have scouts patrolling like we do. If any foreign vehicle enters their city, the driver will become their next meal. But trains and busses full of tourists arrive every week. It's nothing out of the ordinary, and you'll be able to blend in with the crowd."

"I feel sorry for newcomers," I pull a face, hoping that my scent isn't that recognisable – because if they've found a way to kidnap fourteen vampires and a werewolf, I'm sure they've found a way to get my scent.

Santiago leads me through the underground tunnels, double-checking to make sure I haven't forgotten anything, "as you humans tend to do." When we're directly beneath a certain point, Santiago cranes his neck upwards and takes a sudden heaty bounce. There's a clanging sound, and suddenly unhiltered moonlight spills into the tunnels, illuminating everything.

Santiago drops gracefully and lands beside me, his feet not making a sound againts the thin spread of water on the concrete ground.

"Jump on my back," he orders. I'm used to this action, so I do, clenching my legs around his waist so he won't do something stupid and drop me. I squeeze my eyes shut, and I feel a breeze. In the next second, the freezing, frosty air hits my skin. Santiago sets me on my feet on the crunching snow above ground, shutting the manhole in the alleyway firmly. The cold seeps right through my clothes, and I give a violent shiver.

"Do you want a coat?" He asks, his mouth setting in concern.

"Nah," I say, trying to brush it off. My chattering teeth contradict me infuriatingly. "I'll be fine."

Also, I don't want to risk going back inside, because if I do, I'll loose all balls and will probably dive under my duvet and not resurface.

Santiago doesn't look convinced, but he swoops his hands under my body and pulls me against his chest, ignoring my raging heartbeat as he jumps upwards and launches himself from roof to roof. Luckily I can concntrate on the icy wind whipping my face like a little bitch, and _not_ on how high up we are.

It takes virtually no time at all for Santiago to right me on solid ground...right outside Volterra's one and only train station. No wonder the place gets so many damned tourists, there are so many travel places!

Bar a couple dozen humans faffling around on late-night trains, the place is practically empty. Santiago leads me inside the red-bricked building – an oddity amongst the older buildings, this one is newly built – and helps me through. When we get to the ticket counter, he flashes the badge at the drowsy woman behind the glass pane, and, blinking rapidly and paling a bit, she waves us on.

I spin eagerly towards the tracks with my ticket clutched like a lifeline in my cold hand, when suddenly Santiago's hand falls firmly on my arm.

I blink, turning back to see his anxious face. "What?" I demand. "My train leaves in fifteen minutes!"

His eyes, which were squeezed shut, flash open suddenly, looking agonised. "This is a bad idea."

"Duh, it's a terrible idea! We've covered this shit already man, now let me go! I've got a goddamn train to catch!"

"I don't know..." He hedges, looking torn. "You remember the plan?"

"Yeah yeah," I sigh. "I go, I get the scoop and inside info on the place, find out where the others are, and come _straight the fuck home_," I mimik him, making him scowl like a little kid. "I've got it man, no worries."

His sigh is almost a growl. "You get yourself killed, and I'll _give_ you something to die about," he threatens.

"That makes so much sense."

He releases his grip on my arm. "Get lost. Go on, before I change my mind."

I throw him one last grin and duck inside a warm train cab, ounting my breaths to keep myself from choking on them.

**vVv**

The train journey is torture. Pure, unrestrained torture.

Don't get me wrong, it's as comfy as fuck. My nifty little badge gets me some hot soup (what kind of train serves hot soup at eleven thirty at night? A serious ass-kissing train, that's what. Jeez, I'm confused. With all their effort to protect their species' secret, how do the Volturi give away just enough info to get humans all scared of them?), the few people in my cab give the scowling, fidgeting teenage girl a wide berth, so I'm free to throw my feet across the seats and settle down nice and cosily. The windows are blackened, with sudden shadows flashing past like a haunting pantomime, and I find that soothing. The warmth is also nice, making my eyes slide shut with insomnia every few moments. But I won't sleep, because I just can't.

Because the reason the journey sucks out loud, is that my mind is constantly drifting back to Alec.

That mad bitch. I hope he's safe.

_Don't be an idiot_, my mind sneers aggrivatingly. _Of course he isn't safe! In just the few months you've known him, they tried to kill him twice! Why the fuck would he be anywhere near _safe_?_

_The others are with him_, I remind Myself.

Myself scoffs at me. _Yeah, fuck lot of good _they_ did when they were taking him prisoner. For all you know, he's dead already._

_You're a really annoying person, you know?_

_Oh now, look who's talking!_

I sigh, scrunching my fists in my hair, tweaking the roots painfully. I really suck.

I think I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know, the train is screeching to a slow pace, and then stops altogether at a new station.

I have a tiny mini heart-attack when I realise hey! I'm in Italy (still) ! I don't speak a word of Italian, unless you count the cuss words. And I don't think I even pronounce them right. Here I am in an Italian train station, where people speak...wait for it...Italian!

This. Bites. Hard.

Gathering up the scraps of my courage, I make a sluggish beeline for the ticket place, hoping and praying that things go smoothly (and knowing that they won't. Because hey...it's me).

I glare at the timetable, trying to unmuddle the words. The man behind the glass pane of the counter clears his throat, and babbles in foreign tongue.

"Uh...yeah, hi. Here," I fumble in my pocket for the badge, my heart racing when my reaching fingers don't feel it, fearing that I left it on the train. I gust a sharp exhale when I feel it in my other pockey. "Here," I say again, showing my badge to the man. He nods, all businesslike, then gets up and walks away without another word.

I blink. Was that meant to happen?

"What lovely service," I remark, knocking obnoxiously on the glass to get him to _come the fuck back already_!

A blonde, pale-skinned woman with a green silk scarf tied around her throat (a technique I used in the past to cover up hickeys...but that isn't even the point right now. Moving on!) sits behind the glass and peers at my badge.

"Where would you like to go?" She asks, and I'm relieved to see that she doesn't have that overly-perky suck-up-salesperson thing goin on...that bugs the fuck outta me. Also, speaking English defenitely scores points with me.

"Uh..." I mentally slap myself for not remembering the name of the castle. "Romania," I say stupidly.

The woman looks at me like I'm a moron. For a second, with her blonde hair and shrewd gaze, she reminds me of Jane.

"Where _in_ Romania?" She questions.

I bite my lip, trying to pronounce it.

"Our trains don't go that far," she says. "You'll have to take a train to..."

I try to concentrate, _really_ I do, but suddenly unicorns start tap dancing in my mind and all concentration flies out the metaphorical window.

"And take a bus from there to get to the town...are you listening?"

"Huh? Of course," I lie, taking my ticket when she prints it out and walking away, throwing weird glances at her when she throws weirder glances at me.

And one train ride and very boring bus trip later, the sun breaks out over the thick blanket of Romanian snow, and I've arrived. In one piece.

_For how long_?

**vVv**

It isn't hard to find the castle once I'm there; it stands tall and magnificent in the centre of the small town. Personally, I don't think it's as pretty as Volterra. But maybe I'm biased.

I walk though the empty town as dawn breaks, deciding that it might be wise to hide out for a while incase of any roaming vampires that might cop to the fact that no one sane walks around freezing cold streets at this time. Except maybe a Volturi...what _am_ I, actually? An informant? A spy? Well, whatever, I'm not gonna call myself 'bait'. Logical thinking tells me that I should wait it out till the sun rises fully and the streets start bustling. But really, I don't have the patience, or the nerves, to settle down in one place.

The place seems pretty dusted. Aside from a yowling cat that stalks me like I'm a lip-smackingly nice treat, the place is lifeless. A small spasm of laughter sprawls in my stomach as I hope that the cat is the only one with that opinion today.

I walk unsurely towards the towering castle, noting every window and crevice, imagining dangerous red eyes watching me, takeout delivered right to their door.

Once I get within a hundred yards of the castle, I circle it thoughtfully, wondering how the ever holy _fuck_ I can break in without being broken. Or eaten. The lowest windows are at least nine feet off the ground, and surrounded by a thin circle of water that couldn't quite be called a moat. Off to one side, lapping at one side of the ancient castle, there's a wide spanning lake, covered with a thin sheen of white.

On the other side of the lake, there's an old tree with twisted, gnarled branches and no leaves that reaches all the way up to the second floor windows.

I sigh.

You just know I'm gonna climb that damn tree.

**vVv**

Wobbling precariously on one of the less-than-stable branches, I reach upwards towards the next one.

"Heave ho," I mutter, before I use every ounce of upper-body strength to haul myself upwards. Feeling nausious, I force my eyes upwards.

_Don'tlookdownDon'tlookdownDon'tlookdown._

Whining pathetically, I grip hold of the wide stone ledge leading to a balcony and, squeezing my eyes shut, spring, vaulting myself over.

I tumble uslessly on the huge, jutting balcony. When I'm sprawled, grumbling, I look for that silver lining.

I'm alive. Yayness! Or gayness. I'm not quite sure yet.

Scrambling to my feet, I make my way towards the double glass doors. I wonder if smashing it would draw too much attention.

I'm guessing yes.

So I whip a previously-forgotten hairpin out of my pocket, my fingers numb with the intense cold, and start in on picking the newish-looking keyhole. To my vicious delight, there's soon a delicious click and the door swings open. I bound inside happily, forgetting for a second that I should be the opposite of euphoric right now.

Fortunately for me, as soon as I'm inside, the happiness drains with the colour from my face.

There's a bed, dozens of books, a closet, and furniture scattered around the white-walled room.

I've broken into a fucking vampires bedroom!

When I think I hear shuffling in the bathroom, my heart pounds and my mouth dries. I bolt for the bedroom door and fling it open, throwing myself out without thought. I don't stop running, fear and adrenaline fueling my feet pounding against the stone floors. I don't take in my surroundings, but my mind registers stairwells and steps, which I fling my body down almost instinctively.

I pause.

Noises.

_Voices_.

I run from the clear, unmistakable sound, hoping fiercely that they don't follow. I continue down the slim stairs, my hands brushing against the stone walls in a conscious effort to stop myself toppling and hurtling forward.

More steps.

More.

Colder air. Denser, almost dusty. I notice that there are no more slender slivers of windows, and I recognise the earthy smell that had been flooding my nostrils. I'm underground.

I run, still. My feet slap almost painfully against the stone, and I bolt downwards, downwards, until I meet a door. A wooden door, with black hinges and knob and slim barred window of the same material. I throw myself at the door, the full force of my weight making it fly open – thankfully it wasn't locked, or my epic mission could have concluded with a tragic concussion.

I stumble into the room, my feet hitting a floor of dust and straw, like a barn.

"_Holy shit!_" Someone wonderfully familliar bellows.

Felix is in one of five cages. The Volturi are in the largest, and opposite them are the Cullens. Jacob, in his wolf form, has his own cage right beside them. In the cage nearest the door are about thirty women. No, not women, female vampires. All wearing varients of the same ragged white dress and nothing else. Their eyes are completely black and hollow, all of them huddled together. I don't have to be a genius to work out that they're slaves.

In one corner of that same cage is a tiny child. A little girl with long, tangled red hair and round black eyes. Her skin is deathly pale and she's curled around herself, looking scared and deranged desperately hungry all at once. She gives a raw, pious screech and launches herself forward. In an instant, she's at the front of the cage, her skinny little arms clawing in my direction desperately. She was probably no more that four when she was turned.

The last cage is full of humans. Weak, skinny, half-dead humans. Snacks.

They stare at me balefully, and shuffle about the cage as if to make room for me. The scene reminds me of a movie I saw about a concentration camp. They have the same depressed, hopeless look as the imprisoned Jews. It's hard to tear my eyes away from the pitiful scene to look at a female vampire that prowls to the front of her cage nearby the scrabbling, writhing immortal child. She has pale blonde hair falling down to her knees, and intense eyes that are almost seductive. Her thigh slides between the small gap between the bars, and she fixes a come-hither look on me.

"Come here, human," she purrs, her black eyes desperately hopeful. She's beyond starved.

"Phoenix!" Renata cries, dragging my attention away from the hungry slave. I race over to the Volturi's cage, relieved beyond words.

"Awh man, little Nyx! What the hell are you doing here?" Felix yells. I grin happily.

"Thought it was a nice vacation spot, what about you?"

Jane ignores me as per usual (even though she eyes me anxiously, her eyes flickering towards the door), but Demetri actually springs eagerly to the front of the cage. "I never, _ever_ thought I would be happy to see you, but I so am!" He declares.

"Thanks...I...think," I say slowly. Renata reaches through the bars to grab my hand, squeezing too tight.

"Uh, ow," I protest. She drops my hand immediately, smiling wryly.

Alec's arm suddenly snakes through the bars, his sleeve torn and dirty, and he grips my hip firmly in his hand, holding me steady.

He gives a soft sigh as I exhale upwards, ruffling my bangs.

"You're an idiot," he says gently.

"I know," I grimace.

"Thanks," he says, and I grin softly.

Emmett feels the need to interrupt our moment with a loud yelp; "Hey kid, you're gonna be dinner if you don't get outta here!"

I turn to flip him off. "I'll go when I'm ready." _When everyone leaves with me_.

Wow. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be selfless enough to risk my life for others. I must be growing up!

"You guys," I turn to point at the Volturi, who stare at me blankly. "Suck, beyond the _actual_ telling of it."

"It wasn't _our fault_," Jane hisses angrily. "They took our powers."

"Huh?" I reply, wrinkling my nose.

"They have a soldier, John," Alec explains. "His gift overpowered ours. He's the reason my gift wouldn't work when we were ambushed last week. He 'caps' our gifts, holds them inside us so we can't use them."

"That's why I didn't see it coming," Alice moans mournfully from the other cage.

"Why didn't someone just rip his damned head off?" I complain. Coulda saved me a hell lot of hassle.

"It happened too fast," Renata shudders. "And he was well protected. We couldn't if we tried."

"It must have been one kick-ass attack for you guys to be creamed so damn bad," I muse. Felix growls.

"Get the keys," Demetri says urgently.

"Keys," I echo, patting my pants pockets automatically, then rolling my eyes at myself. "Right. And where would _they_ be?"

"Right here," a smooth voice purrs suddenly.

This is too clichè not to have seen coming. And yet I didn't. Because I suck.

Four Romanian soldiers – all males – stand aloof in front of the heavyset door. They're all disturbingly pretty, but each ruby eye holds a wicked gleam that prevents me from trusting them mindlessly.

I spin all the way around and press my back against the bars, feeling several hands touching me anxiously.

"Lucias," the leader snaps, his blonde hair falling in his scarlet eyes. One of the vampires jumps to attention. "Fetch the Masters. I'm sure they'd _love_ to see that the Volturi have sent the girl-child to us."

"Girl-child?" I complain, feeling put out.

"Is this a trade they're offering, young one?" The blonde man queries, walking forward casually.

"Me, for _them_?" I ask. "Ha! Are you freaking kidding me? I'm worth much more, and I'm nicer."

"So I see," he smirks, and I'm not oblivious to the fact that his eyes drift back to the cage of growling females. I'm not the only one that stiffens.

He moves forward again.

The growl that rips furiously from Alec's throat is almost comforting. "_You will not touch her_!"

That's it Alec, you tell 'em!

Suddenly I don't feel the Volturi's protective hands, or the bars against my back. I don't realise I;ve been thrown away from them until my body crashes and skids against the dirty floor. Before I still, steel hands grip my jaw and hoist me upwards.

"I'll do what I like," he says simply, leaning his teeth almost teasingly towards my exposed throat. Alec's enraged snarl is echoed again and again.

"Jensen," a smooth voice intervenes. I don't see it's owner, but from the hisses crackling around the room, I can guess it's one of the Masters. "Drop the child."

With a soft sigh (I feel cold air waft against my skin) I hit the floor again, gasping for air. I spot shoes under my eyes, and I follow the leg they belong to until I see the thin-skinned face of a tall man with pale blonde hair. His eyes glow burgundy.

"Ah," he breathes, offering a hand to help me to her feet. "So you are the Phoenix Volturi that I've heard so much about."

I ignore his hand, fearing that I might lose mine. "It's Miller."

"I'm sorry?"

"My name?" I say sourly. "It's Phoenix Miller."

He looks delighted by my arrogance. "Is it now?" He smiles widely, flashing teeth so gleaming and sharp that they could almost be fangs.

"What can I say? Miller has a nicer ring to it," I continue, ignoring the low growls from the soldiers.

"Indeed," the man says. "Well, I am Vladmir."

"Nice to meet you," I say sarcastically. He takes my first polite words on board without bother.

"May I ask what your small human self is doing lurking in my dungeons?" He questions.

"Er, no you may not," I reply, flustered. His eyebrow quirks.

"Surely you must be here for a reason?" He presses. "I doubt you are here to offer yourself up as an appetiser?"

I shudder. "Uh, no. Not really."

His laugh is almost wheezed, like an old man. He sounds like he's swallowed ashes. Maybe he has.

"Marvellous child!" He sighs, shaking his head. "Oh, it almost hurts me to have to kill you."

Um...

"What?" I mouth, unable to form the word. It's as if my teeth and tongue and lips turned to ash and crumbled away when he said he would kill me. The others can do nothing but watch in horror. I hear whimpers and growls and yells and snarls, but none of them register with me.

"You see, I was not bluffing when I told Aro that I would kill his dear ones," Vladmir explains, circling me idly. "I plan to begin with the weakest and work my way upwards." His eyes linger on Jane and Alec, who's furious sound echoes throughout the castle. "And you, my dear, are the weakest."

Now that's just insulting. "You obviously don't know me very well," I choke. He chuckles.

"I do not need to _know_ you, mortal. I just need to drink you." His gaze turns hungry. He moves forwards a fraction and I stumble backwards.

"_Touch her and DIE, you fucker_!" Alec roars. Vladmir chuckles.

"Child, you are in a cage," he points out, smiling like Alec told him a good joke.

"Not for long," Alec growls.

Vladmir's sound of contempt disagrees.

"She is mine," Alec hisses. "If you kill her, you and I will fight to death."

This is obviously some old vampire thing that I really have no interest in at this point because hello, I'm quite literally looking death in the face.

_Again_.

"I see no sign of ownership on her," Vladmir points out nonchalantly. I touch my throat in shock, realising that Alec never put my collar back on. He's silent now.

Vladmir's icy hand slides around the side of my face as if he's going to kiss me. I freeze, to afraid to even blink.

I feel the razor-edges of Vladmir's teeth brush against my throat. He gives a low chuckle as Alec, confined by the white bars of his cage, gives a deafening roar of outrage.

"DO NOT TOUCH HER!"

Even in my state of shock, I wince from the force of his voice. Vladmir shakes his head.

"Such a temper that boy has," he tuts against my throat.

In the next second, his teeth slice through my vulnerable all-too-human flesh.

I can't help but scream in agony as the pain explodes throughout my body. My scream dies quickly, and I feel myself oddly lulled by the heavy push-pull motion of my blood leaving my body. By the feel of my slowing heart.

There are screams all around me, roars and howls and agonised sobs of protest. I barely hear them.

I'm slipping.

Vladmir drops my limp frame, and I don't feel as I hit the floor. The pain in my neck is far too much, and the rest of my body feels oddly light, so close to death. My head lolls uselessly against the ground.

Darkness blurrs the edges of my vision.

Isn't it just fucking typical that my last moments are gonna be spent in desperate pain? Oh well, at least I'll die as I lived.

And die I do.

My eyelids feel so heavy, I barely hear the roars to keep them open, to fight. I don't want to listen. I want the pain to go away.

My eyes slide shut.

And, to my complete distress, the pain only gets worse.

Of fucking course.

**Oh yeah, I did that!**


	19. The Change

**Hey dearies, this chapter is in Alec's POV, but be warned! It's much shorter than usual, because this is really just a filler-chap.**

_I've been screaming on the inside,_

_And I know you feel the pain,_

_Can you hear me?_

_Can you hear me?_

**Alec POV**

Felix has to grapple me from behind to stop me from throwing myself at the white cage bars – constructed of vampire bone, the only thing on the planet that could possibly restrain us. Demetri places a hand of restraint on my chest, dragging me back.

"Lord Vladmir, Master Stefan wishes to speak with you," a soldier announces from the doorway.

Vladmir lifts his face from Phoenix's torn throat in irritation. "Is it of importance?"

"Yes, sir."

I break away from Demetri and Felix long enough to see him drop her body to the dusty floor. Carlisle in the cage opposite drops his head.

"Shall we remove her?" The soldier asks as Vladmir glides, an air of smugness about him, towards the doorway.

Vladmir ponders. "No," he decides. "Let her lay there as a reminder of why they're here, and to whom they belong from now on."

And he's gone.

Her chest moves up and down with ragged, shallow breaths. Breaths too small to fill her lungs.

She has moments left.

"_Phoenix_!" Felix roars. "_Keep your fucking eyes open_!"

As if in direct defiance to his orders, her eyes slide shut, fluttering slightly.

_So like her_.

Her heart stutters and skips a beat.

I feel sick.

"Phoenix, can you hear me?" Carlisle calls loudly, over the clamour of everyone around us. She doesn't so much as twitch in response to her own name. Her eyes are glazed, half open. She's completely still. I feel the floor hit my knees as I drop, feeling the agony consume my person.

I can't hear her heart any more.

She's dead.

Renata gives a raw cry of pain.

_Pain_.

My Phoenix died in agony.

I could have taken it away, if John hadn't capped me. I feel sick thinking of how much pain she must have been in.

At least it's over now.

Renata drops down and throws her arms around my neck, crying into my shoulder.

There's a roaring in my ears, the shouts and screams of people, tears and sobs, yells of Phoenix's name.

_It hurts to hear it._

The humans in the other cage, at least fifty of them, are in tune with the loudness. But all I can hear in my head are their heartbeats. Fifty healthy heartbeats, something Phoenix no longer possesses.

_I can't bear it._

I cling to Renata simply for something to hold. I can feel my whole body shaking violently.

"Is he okay?" Someone calls.

"I think he's in shock," someone near to me replies.

Time seems to stop altogether.

After a long while, I feel Renata's body slide away from mine. Someone gently lowers me to the ground, stroking my hair. I hardly feel it. When my black eyes eventually slide shut, all I can see is Phoenix's death.

When Vladmir seized her fragile little body in his greedy hands, when he sunk his teeth into the flesh of her throat, when he sucked the blood from her. I can hear the nausiating simultainious crunch of her bones snapping beneath his long, bony, alabaster fingers. Her body, sinking to the floor, slipping away second by second. One arm falling across her stomach, the other thrown behind her head. Her eyes, the life seeping from them moment by moment, sliding closed.

Her heart giving up, after everything it's survived.

"The sun's up," one of the slaves murmurs in her native tongue, several hours later. It's dawn.

Phoenix is still in the same position.

I think of that time that I took her to the top of the church steeple to watch the sun rise in the distance. She'd been captivated by it's beauty. She'd been so deep in thought then. I had pondered, watching her expression, wondering what was running through that unpredictable mind. I'd gotten my answer when she spoke to me.

"You look gay," she'd said.

Always trying to score points, wasn't she?

We'd had to leave once the sun was up; the humans couldn't see me. I knew I was robbing her of something she required, something that, as a human, she craved – the dense heat of the fully risen sun. The light.

I robbed her of a lot more than that.

_I wonder if she died hating me_.

She said it enough times.

"God Alec, I fucking hate you. Let go of the damned mattress! I'll put it back _after_ it's reached the bottom."

"ALEC YOU BITCH GET OUT OF THE FUCKING BATHROOM ALREADY! I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

"Hate you," she'd called cheerfully over her shoulder as she sent me on my way.

"Hate you too," I'd replied, grinning.

"I hate you, really," she'd mumbled, her head resting on my bicep as I cradled her naked body against mine. Her soft hair tickled against my skin. Her soft breaths breezed warmly against my chest, her arm draped lazily around my waist, her leg cocked comfortably over mine. She hadn't stayed awake long enough to hear my reply.

"Hate you too."

After a long while, more soldiers come downstairs. It's obvious they've been told not to touch her. They skirt around her carefully to get to the cage full of humans. They take out six. The six chosen humans scream and sob.

_They're so alive_.

The soldiers motion for us to get back, back to the very end of the cage. I feel someone pulling my body back gently. I feel the stone walls against me.

The cage door opens, and two of the six humans are tossed inside. Felix, Demetri, Jane and Santiago fall on them ravenously, snarling and hissing to see who'll get the most blood out of it. Renata stays by me, curling against me, not breathing. I know she's as thirsty as the rest of them. I am too. But I suppose Renata, like me, has lost her appetite.

There's similar chaos going on in the slaves' huge cage. Two humans are thrown in for them. Two humans amongst thirty ravenous vampires! I'm not surprised that they start tearing at eachother, fighting and brawling over the two humans. The slaves haven't been fed in weeks. They're dying of thirst.

The stronger ones get to feed, kicking the others back. The tiny immortal child cowers at the back of the cage, crying with hunger. Her little sobs catch some attention, but no one moves to comfort her. Esme Cullen watches the child sadly.

When the last two humans are delivered into the Cullens' cage, I almost laugh. The Cullens look totally stricken. An _oh-shit-what-do-we-do-now_ expression on each of their faces. The humans clutch eachother in fright.

Esme whispers something in Carlisle's ear. After a moment of deliberation, he nods. He beckons Emmett.

Emmett picks up one of the humans and gives her to Esme. Esme, with a pained grimace, snaps the young woman's neck. We all watch in shock. Esme drags the corpse to the back of the cage and extends the dead human's arm. Edward calls the young child in Romanian.

The infant vampire picks herself up and races to the side of the cage that is next to the Cullens. The slaves don't seem to notice as Esme slides the human's arm through the bars, enough of the way so the little girl can bite her wrist. The child curls against the bars, the cuff of the woman's torn shirt caught in her fists. I watch her black eyes flood with red as she feeds gratefully.

My eyes slide back to Phoenix's body. I stay watching her as everyone but the Cullens and I feed greedily. The soft lilac shade of her closed eyelids has paled to white. I wonder how long they'll leave her there? If their plan is to drive me to final insanity, they're succeeding.

Hours pass. It feels like days.

Stefan makes an appearence, and the female cower. I feel Jane stiffen against my back – when did she move there? – I know she'll want them all freed.

This reminds me of another complication: The Romanian's created an immortal child, the little girl. What actions would we, _could we_, take against this? Surely this child, trapped with the Romanian's slaves, has suffered more than any infant, any person, deserves? She is a forbidden existance, feral and vicious and chained to this wildness by her constant, frantic thirst. Despite her past, her future is clearly bleak. Immortal infants cannot be trained from what they know, and they know only thirst. Aro and Caius will wish her dead. Marcus might be a little more sympathetic towards her, but in the end, the baby will die.

She whines and writhes against the bone-bars like an animal with an itch, her scraggly red hair tangled and newly matted with dried blood. She is tiny enough that she can poke her little head through the bars, but she doesn;t try to wriggle her way free. I suppose she's all too aware of the consequences.

I see no other ending for her, and I'm sure that the others will agree. Undoubtably, I will be asked to numb her against the pain of her death. And I will. Perhaps the eternal rest is the very best this child can wish for?

This is assuming that we ever get out, of course. Within hours of her leaving, Aro would have noticed that Phoenix was gone. That sort of obnoxious loudness is hard to miss. I wonder how he will react? Now that I think of it, how did she _manage _it? I sit back, baffled by this. She isn't _that_ extraordinary. Is she? How did she manage to break the barriers of _this _castle?

I wonder if Aro will send the others after us. I doubt this. I'm fully sure that he will never give up his throne to have us returned to him – how is our safety a guarantee? – so what is our fate? Vladmir has proved that he's willing to do as he threatened. But how many of our ash pots will he send to Volterra before Aro takes incentive?

The tiniest fragment of comfort that I can scrape from the bowels of this nightmare, is the fact that Jane and I will not be killed. This is almost a guarantee. Beaten and starved? Absolutely. But Vladmir and Stefan will want to enslave us. Our talents are too precious to waste. But how, _how_ do they ever think that my twin and I could ever leave the Volturi behind? Do they hope that with the eradicated numbers and possible dethroning that we will switch our alligences to save our own skins? Jane is as loyal as they come, she would never turn her back on the Volturi, no matter the circumstances. And me?

I want to die.

I don't care what happens to me at this point. If the universe turns up trumps and we are all miraculously freed, I doubt I will ever see the point of it.

My poor, naive little Nyx was nothing less than my salvation. If nothing else, she gave me purpous.

Casting a glance at our distraught Tracker, I finally understand what Demetri felt when his little human's short spell in Volterra was ended. But he never loved her. Did he? I've always been convinced that he loves Heidi - human or no human – and their recent trysts certainly prove that they have a connection of sorts.

Do I love Nyx?

She lies still and lifeless on the floor, her skin perfectly pale, dark hair splayed wildly around her expressionless face.

Even now, she looks disturbingly beautiful.

It hurts to look at her, but I can't manage to look away.

"How long have we been here now?" Renata rasps, after yet more excrutiating hours pass. I spare her a glance, just to have something else to look at. Her eyes are raw black, and I think mine must be too. She has to be regretting not feeding when she had the chance. The Romanians show no signs of coming to feed us again.

"Almost four days," Edward murmurs in response. For the first time, I'm glad for John. I would loathe having that Cullen invade my every thought while we're trapped in here. Or even having the empath feel what I'm feeling.

The half-blood (who has been getting her fair share of hungry glances) cowers into her mother's side upon his answer.

"Four by midnight," Demetri agrees, casting a wistful glance through the small barred window at the dropping sun.

**vVv**

**Santiago POV**

I pace back and forth across the room while Corin watches me with narrowed eyes, her arms folded beneath her chest.

"Santiago, I will stick a fucking lighted match up your ass if you don't tell me," she threatens, her voice a hiss, and I know she isn't kidding.

I rake my hands roughly through my hair, trembling a little bit.

Phoenix has been gone for two and a half days. People have started to notice. And I can't rid my body of the nausious sensations, knowing that something has happened. Why else would she be gone for so long?

Corin decided that my stories – Phoenix being asleep, eating, and wanting to be alone – were what they were: Total bullshit. She went barging into Alec's room looking for Nyx, only to discover that she hadn't been there in days. Her scent had been faint. Then Corin rounded on me.

"Aro is getting suspicious," she spits angrily. "You know he wants to see her. He won't tolerate your _lies_ much longer."

I swallow, knowing that Aro's gonna go insane when he finds out about Phoenix's plan, and that I helped her.

"I know," I gulp, feeling myself reeling a little.

"Just tell me San, _please_. You just know that girl has some crackpot scheme up her sleeve that's gonna do more harm than good. Maybe we can stop something ridiculous before it starts," she sighs.

"It's too late," I choke. "She's there already."

"In Romania?" Corin blanches. Then her face smooths out and she calms. "It's okay. Romania is a big country. She won't even know how to reach Vladmir and Stefan."

I cringe. "Yes she will."

Corin's gaze turns to one of fire. "How?" She growls through viciously clenched teeth.

I bite my lip. "I kind of...told her."

The nuclear bomb explodes. "_What_?" Corin shrieks. "You fucking moron! How _could_ you?"

"W-Well I didn't know that she even _had_ a plan when she asked me!" I babble frantically.

"But you knew _after_?"

"Yes," I admit. "She said she just wanted to scope the place out, get the information back to us."

"And you _believed_ her? Santiago! The girl could find trouble in an empty room. How the fuck could you send her to Romania?"

"I wasn't thinking, okay?" I yell. "I'm an idiot, I know already! Are you happy?"

"No," she seeths.

"What do we do?" I ask, feeling small. "We can't leave her to fend for herself. At least we know the others can handle themselves."

Corin rolls her eyes. "Yeah, they're real hardy." Then she sighs, slipping her hand through mine. "Come on, we have to go to Aro."

I snap away from her as if she burned me. "No! If he finds out I helped Phoenix escape and run to Romania, he'll have my head! What we have to do is come up with a plan, that's all!"

"No," Corin says. "Telling Aro, is what we have to do! Right now!"

I give in easily. Not just because I'm a hopeless pushover, but because I know that having Caius beat me down is better than having my friend die.

**vVv**

**Alec POV**

After a while, Jane tucks herself insistantly under my arm, and I don't have the energy to shrug her off. I barely have the energy to blink. It isn't just the thirst that makes me feel empty, completely hollow, as if someone's caved me out and left a lifeless shell behind, taking everything else away when they took _her_. My sisters arm wrapped around me becomes a comfort.

Despite my trying desperately to find any distractions, my thoughts snap back to Phoenix like a reflex.

I remember her alluring scent, the soft feel of her light skin. Her hair, thick and black and wild. Her voice, her eyes. I feel disgust pulse through me as it occurs to me that she's already become a memory. Like some fantasy that I've made up inside my head.

Staring at her still form makes her seem more real, and more painful.

But then again, pain and pleasure tend to go hand-in-hand, don't they?

_Pleasure_...

More memories appear front and centre in my head. These are the strongest, and not just because they're so recent.

Her warm, soft little body under mine. Her slender thighs around my waist. Her little human hands gliding over my skin. Her lips on mine, on my skin. Her small mewls and cries and _screams_. The feel of her writhe and shudder. The feeling of her breasts under my tongue, against my chest. The feel of her hot, tight walls clenching and pulsing around me as I drove her to climax. The awed, loving look on her face when she finished. The feeling of her warm body curled around mine when she slept.

My eyes glaze over and my throat tightens dryly with tears that will never come.

_And God, it hurts_.

I have to stand, after a while. I just can't bear being still any longer.

I feel eyes on me as I walk from one side of the cage to the other. My eyes focus on the bars, and I spot toothmarks. Some prisoners were determined, it seems.

We all watch as the moon rises – our timeline. Slowly, slowly, it advances towards the centre of the sky, creeping across the blackness to provide us with some light. The dim luminescence beams through the window and falls gracefully on Phoenix, making her white skin glow, almost.

Demetri's hand touches my shoulder. "I'm sorry," he murmurs quietly.

I shrug away from him angrily, turning away. "Sure."

"No, I really am," Demetri insists. "I know I always wanted her dead, but now..." He trails off, not really knowing how to finish. "Well, I guess the castle's gonna seem really quiet from now on," he sighs.

That's when a strangled gasp rips through the air, and Phoenix's torso vaults upwards. Her nails claw into the dirt, and she gasps frantically for breaths that she doesn't need. Her head twists around as she surveys the scene with wide eyes, which glow bright, beaming red.

"Or perhaps not," Demetri murmurs.

**This was probably the single most obvious outcome EVER. Sorry bout the short and suckish chapter. I'll hopefully have another one up by Christmas.**


	20. Vampire

**I HAS SO MANY AUTHORS NOTES! Okay, brace yourselves!**

**ShadowHuntress101: I did try to span it out over 3 days but I didn't really know how. And she didn't scream because she was so weak from blood loss.**

**Ssspptt: Nah my Facebook got suspended because I was tagged in some "unsavoury" pics by my bested bud ever, the whore xD I'm working on getting a new one :L**

**iloveTheHunter9: Fuck loving ME! I LOVE your username! xD because my ego's so big that it should be it's own continent -_- and as for your question, we'll have to see, won't we? ^_^**

**Uncreative Names HAPPY CHRISTMAS! And thanks for sticking with it xD**

** EVERYONE! Seriously! I cannot get over how much I love you all! It's actually not funny. You all may need to take out restraining orders on me :D And to those who read and don't review: Boo you whores! Dx reviews are what make me update faster! Seriously, if I get like three I'm like "fuck this I'll write tomorrow...or the next day etc." but when I get shit tonnes then I actually start writing right away. Like right now, I just read the reviews for chapter 19 and here I am!**

**Also, I got a proposal and an undying love declaration and let me just say: AM VERY FLATTERED! Loves ^_^**

**AAAAAAAAAAAND I was in a play recently that went down really really well so I'm in an awesomeshit mood and that makes for better chapters!**

**Over and out!**

_She's a vampire,_

_She's a vampire,_

_In the darkness of the night,_

_She knows no wrong or right..._

This is for all the cussing, isn't it? The cussing and the perverted thoughts. The violence and murder didn't really help, either. But still, I guess my Grandma was wrong. She was never the religeous type. Never believed in Heaven or Hell. I kinda followed her example. Well, I suppose I always _hoped_ there was a place like heaven, because who wants to be drifting in the blackness for all eternity? Maybe Heaven might have the odd basketball tournament or something. But drifting forever? Not only would it get incredibly dull, but y'know how when you sleep for hours and hours in the same position, you get a crick in your neck, a bellyache and a sore back? Imagine how much it would hurt sleeping in the same position forever! I'd also always hoped that there _wasn't_ a place like Hell, because I would certainly end up there.

Looks like I was right.

I've been burning for a hundred thousand years, it seems. Just when I think the crippling pain is easing a little, it flares to it's peak and I'm engulfed in more flames.

_And fuck does it hurt_.

But the worst part? Well, the pain has the number one spot, but the second worst part is defenitely the fact that I'm frozen. I can't move. I want to writhe and thrash but I can't feel my limbs to reach them beyond the pain. I can't find my lungs to breathe. I don't even know if I _am_ breathing. My heart is a boiling cauldron of torment in the centre of my chest. I can't even cry.

Fucking Vladmir. The little bitch. How dare he kill me? I hope somebody breaks out and returns the favour so that he can join me down here. I'd sure as hell make him feel welcome!

After a few hundred years more, the pain begins to gather, to centre. It takes an age and a half. I can't feel my arms or legs anymore. Have they turned to ash and crumbled away? It'd be a good ending for them, in my fucking opinion!

The molten lava bubbles and gathers in the empty shell cage of my chest, burning and brewing and _boiling_ until I can't take the agony any more. It's _building building building_, and then-

A window. A way out.

I don't see it, but I can feel it. Something beyond this torture. Anything, anything at all is better than this, so I fight.

It only hurts more. The pain tries to hold onto me, burning hotter and harder than before while I try to claw my way out. I know that there won't be much left of me when I do.

I claw and drag and haul myself out, while the pain tries to entrap me within itself, curling and twisting over my body to cage me in, growing hotter and hotter and _hotter_.

I'd been afraid before. Afraid that this pain would last forever, terrified of what else awaited me in Hell. Or would there _be_ anything else? Would this pain last until the end of time?

Yeah, I'd been petrified. But now...?

Now, I'm just pissed.

I want out. Right the fuck now.

So I battle against the agony, gasping, grabbing, reaching, while it retreats to my heart, burning burning burning until I want to shriek and curl into myself, scrape it right out of my chest. Still, I reach out, fighting my way from the pain from the inside out.

_Breaking..._

It's gone.

I wrench myself upwards, gasping loudly, my fingers still clawing as it registers with my mind that the pain is gone. My eyes snap around the room while my hands claw at the dirt, at my clothes, which shred effortlessly under my own fingernails.

My gasps for air bring me no satisfaction, no sense of release, so my breathing halts altogether. Somehow, it doesn't matter.

I swallow deeply, scared. My saliva somehow tastes cooler than usual. The tiniest fragment sharper in taste, but not unpleasent. But my throat...fucking _hurts_. It aches as if someone scraped it out with sandpaper. Stings upon every inhaled breath. This sting is what makes me understand.

I wasn't burning in Hell, I was _changing_. I'm a _vampire_.

Oh, fucking wonderful.

"Or perhaps not," someone familliar murmurs. My head snaps around to locate the sound. A second later, my hands push me up and then I'm standing, perfectly still.

"Oh my God," Renata whispers. She looks even prettier than usual under the intense scrutiny of my new eyes. Jane, beside her, looks completely astonished, as if I just dropped through the roof stark naked. Felix gives a breathless laugh, and Demetri has an oh-shit-now-she's-permenant grimace on his face. Alec is something else altogether.

_Alec_.

"Phoenix?" He chokes, shock plastered all over his face. I manage to form a wry smile.

My new system allows my brain to realise that he is something I want, and enables me to take a step towards the cage. Then, something else grabs my attention.

The wet throbbing sounds, constant and loud, make me dizzy with need. Venom pools rapturiously over my tongue, and my lips pull back over my sharp new teeth before I even turn my head. An agonised growl vibrates in my throat when the most delicious scent I've ever experienced assaults my senses, making me sway a little bit.

Fifty humans cower in a cage not ten feet from me, boggling at me in complete astonishment, their throats bare and pulsing.

_Want..._

They don't have time to blink before my body crashes against the cage bars, which do little more than judder. A furious snarl springs from my lips and my arm snaps through the gaps in the bars, my hand clenching around a hot wrist.

I hear several small crunches and a louder snap, and a high pitched scream of pain echoes through the room. I yank the human towards the bars until her arm is all the way through. Her wrist flops uselessly, broken. I rip the sleeve away, dropping the torn fabric to the floor. I stare greedily at the howling woman's exposed flesh; pale peach and soft and pulsing. I can _see_ her light blue veins beneath the thin membrane of her skin, throbbing, rich with blood.

My next actions are instinctual, thoughtless. I plunge my teeth into the softness of her skin, my jaw open wide. There are several wet tearing sounds as my teeth break the flesh. Blood spurts instantly into my waiting mouth, coating my tongue in it's sweet thickness, sliding like honey down my aching throat.

The taste, the relief and the sensations of the blood gushing down my throat makes me moan. The woman's scream cuts off as she sags annoyingly. While I try to right her, I hear a sickening pop as her shoulder disclocates. Soon after that, she runs dry.

Hissing in disgust, I toss her body away.

_I want more..._

Just before I can lunge for another human – the longing, aching thirst is only quenched in the slightest – I hear something that I wouldn't have heard just three days ago.

_Could that be right? _I think, standing up straight as hisses echo around the room. _Just three days? It felt like a fucking lifetime! But three days is what Alec told me before..._

My thoughts cut off as I hear the soft fall of light footsteps against the stone stairs leading down to the dungeon. I inhale sharply, curving to attack. The scent of another vampire reaches me easily, and it's simple to identify – sweet and cool. It instantly puts me on edge.

"Phoenix," Alec hisses, and my head snaps around to look at him. His expression is nothing short of desperate. "Phoenix _hide_!" I look at him with confusion. He gives a desperate hiss of exsasperation. "Your instincts won't allow you to fight strategically, and they've been trained how to handle newborns," he hisses.

Hmm. That does make sense. Alec told me about how newborns are slaves to their instincts, and the dead body on the floor of the cage turns the arguement in his favour. But still...I can feel this new, exciting strength rippling through my muscles, and I'm aching to use it. There's one person I'd love to use it on in particular. But Vladmir would be too well protected to get to. At least for the moment...

When the heavy door is flung open, I'm no longer standing in the same spot.

I swing my legs up on the high rafters, watching with amusement when a vaguely familliar vampire enters the dungeons and stops dead, staring in complete shock at the spot just below me where I had lain in agony.

I grin delightedly while he whirls around, looking shocked. He, and the rest of the Romanian, obviously thought I was a goner. Well, if I'm being fair, so did I.

But still, it's great fun watching him spin and twist in complete befuzzlement. I start bouncing gleefully on the wooden rafters when he spits out a Romanian phrase, sounding horrified. Felix laughs, and this earns him a furious snarl. My body reacts to the threatening sound, tensing. My own teeth bare, and I receive several warning glances to stay still and shut up. Jacob, still all wolfy shit (and smelling _terrible_, not in the least bit appealing. How the hell do the Cullens manage to _eat_ things like him?) gives a quiet grumble. My fingers dig into the wood, trying to keep my cool.

_Coooool...breeeeeeeathe..._

That's when the rafter splinters and breaks completely, sending me dropping downwards on top of the startled vampire.

All I hear above the crashing wood and furious growling is Alec's of-fucking-course sigh. A clenched fist to the side of my head sends me crashing against the ground.

"_Ce dracu_?" He cries, leaping back when I jump instantly to my feet and clench my fists, growling. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Your Master is a fucking moron," I spit furiously. Then I stop, distracted. My voice sounds weiiiiiiird, all ringy and high-pitched. It sounds _terrible_, actually. But I don't have time to dwell on this because the blonde vampire pounces with deadly accuracy.

_Blonde...that rings a bell..._

He manages to tackle me around the waist and send us both flying back against the Cullens' cage. The bars whacking off my head don't _hurt_, but they're real fucking irritating. A growl tingles on my lips and I flex my legs, managing to launch the vampire off me and across the room, skidding along the dirt ground. He rights himself quickly, spinning around mid-skid so he can vault to his feet, eyes blazing.

I realise who he is when he sets those eyes on me.

_"Right here," a smooth voice purrs suddenly._

_This is too clichè not to have seen coming. And yet I didn't. Because I suck._

_Four Romanian soldiers – all males – stand aloof in front of the heavyset door. They're all disturbingly pretty, but each ruby eye holds a wicked gleam that prevents me from trusting them mindlessly._

_I spin all the way around and press my back against the bars, feeling several hands touching me anxiously._

_"Lucias," the leader snaps, his blonde hair falling in his scarlet eyes. One of the vampires jumps to attention. "Fetch the Masters. I'm sure they'd love to see that the Volturi have sent the girl-child to us."_

"Oh!" I realise, a smile breaking out across my face. Is being bipolar part of the whole newborn thing? "You're uh...J...Jacob? No, that's wolf dude. Jackson! No... _Jensen_!" I recall, sifting through the fog of my memories.

He growls, obviously not that thrilled that I remembered who he was. He appears in front of me and swings his fist around. My body twists instantly, my back bending backwards until my head almost touches the ground. I snap back up to grab his fist and shove him backwards. He staggers a little bit.

"You're ungraceful for a vampire," I comment. "Hey, do you have the keys?"

"Perhaps," he drawls.

If you're thinking that the others are sitting idle in their cages, they're not. The female slaves are leaning forward eagerly, the tiny immortal child perched on some randomer's shoulders so she can get a decent look. The Cullens are watching with wide eyes too, looking worried. And the Volturi? They're bouncing and racing around their cage like a bunch of spastics, yelling at me. I can hear what every one of them is screaming at me, but I'm having too much fun to take any of it on board.

Suddenly there are hands around my throat, and I'm being forced to my knees on the floor. Jensen's thumbs press into my jugular.

"Are you really so stupid that you're trying to _choke_ me?" I sigh. "You're one stupid motherfucker. I don't _breathe_, idiot!"

He gives a harsh laugh, tightening his grip on my throat. "Choke you?" He chuckles. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm trying to take your loudmouthed head off."

He twists, and I feel the skin under my jaw crack like plaster against a stone wall.

Oh. Well. That makes more sense.

Bellows echo throughout the dungeon, and something occurs to me. He might have the skills and the experience, but I have the strength, which I can use to my advantage.

I slip my arms up between his and knock them away, springing back to my feet. I feel the crack heal with a strange tingle as quickly as it came. My knee jerks up and catches his hip, causing him to twist down sideways. I jerk my knee again and catch his temple, sending him to his hands and knees on the ground. I grab him around his jaw and twist, intending just to turn his head a little.

I give a deafening yelp when his head comes apart from his body, which drops unceremoniously to the floor.

My hands fly out to my sides and I drop the decapitated head to the ground. It bounces and rolls away while my eyes are still wide with horror. The Volturi are still screeching.

"The keys, Phoenix! Get the fucking keys!" Alec bellows.

Keys. Right. Keys are important.

But just as I turn and stoop down to search the body, I inhale for the first time since Jensen entered the dungeons. Forty-something heartbeats register with my ears, and my mouth waters so much that if my lips parted, I'd be drooling.

I fly back towards the cage, clawing through the bars to get to the humans. The animalistic sounds of rage are coming from my own lips as the Volturi, and now the Cullens, too, shriek at me.

"The _keys_, you witless fool!" Jane screams furiously. I turn to growl at her, and I catch more sounds. More footsteps. More smells. More vampires.

I hiss, shaking my head slowly, trying to clear it. I spring away from the humans back to Jensen, who's limbs are twitching sickeningly. I fish inside his pockets and feel the impossibly smooth substance of the vampire bone keys under my sensitive fingertips.

I snatch them up with a hollow jangle. The vampires advance. I whip my head around frantically, wide eyed, looking for someplace to hide them. Just as more vampire soldiers burst through the door, I stuff them down the first place I can think of – my cleavage (I know, what kind of person must I be, if the first place I think to stash things is down my tits?). I hear several snickers around me.

Six vampires enter with bared teeth, and before I can duck or run like hell, two of them have my arms caught and one slips behind me to grab the sides my head. I'm forced to my knees once more as the remaining three vampires round on me.

Ooh, fuck. Bad shit right here.

Everyone is in a shocked silence. I growl furiously, writhing and jerking. One of the three, with a dangerous gleam in his red eyes, moves forward to cup my chin.

I dip my head down just in time to bite down on two of his fingers.

He snaps his arm back on impulse, howling when his fingers remain trapped between my teeth.

I give a disgusted retch and spit them out as far as they'll go. One of them flies right inside the slaves' cage, making for a great toy for the little girl. A palm connects sharply with my face in a vicious slap.

Alec snarls furiously from his cage, and he's echoed instantly.

I glare up at the vampire who hit me, gazing, enraged, into his eyes to unnerve him.

I feel something. A connection.

It's extremely strange. Hard to describe. I'm still seeing things through my own eyes, but I'm sensing things from inside this vampire. My head – his head – whirls around in shock. I inhale sharply, but it isn't me that's breathing – it's _his_ body. I can taste the air on his tongue. My gasp comes through his lips.

I feel a sudden glimmer of something else. I grab hold of it, and my captive feels like he's glowing. I have this sudden..._knowledge_...of what it is. He's a Tracker, not very strong. I can sense everyone in the room the way that he senses them. I can tell that it's harder for

My own eyes blink in astonishment, and the connection is lost.

I sag slightly, overwhelmed. I release my hold on this vampire's mind, and he drops to the ground, catching himself on one hand, using the other to hold his head, just like he's dizzy. His companions stare at him, puzzled beyond words. They can't work out what's going on.

I glance at the open-mouthed Volturi, who's thoughts are on the same wavelength as mine; Seems like my power works after all.

"Phoenix!" Renata breathes, shocked. The Romanians don'd have time to make the connection before I'm at it again. The first one to glance back at me is dark haired. His hair is like Alec's, only not as thick and shiny. I concentrate fiercely when he meets my eyes, and it happens again.

When I make the connection, there's a dramatic _whumph_ in my head. I probe his mind, searching, and then I gasp yet again.

Lo and behold. Looks like I've found John. I remember in the instant that I switch on to his power just what it is, and with a little more concentration, I feel it within my mental grasp.

Time to shut this bitch _down_.

It's like a mental release switch. Once I flick it off, it shuts down completely. Every gifted vampire in the room gives a sharp inhilation as they feel their own gifts release. Demetri gives a violent hiss of triumph.

I flick my eyes away from John, testing the waters. The connection doesn't dissintegrate this time. I don't need eye contact to maintain it.

Before malicious Jane and Alec can unleash their gifts upon the Romanians, I find something else. John's tongue.

"She has a gift," I think in my mind, and I feel like dancing when his own voice echoes my thoughts. Edward gives a gasping laugh of delight. "We have to take her to the Masters."

The delighted look on everyone's faces soon turns to outright horror.

"Phoenix, _no_," Alec hisses, distressed. I pay him no notice.

"Is she dangerous?" The one holding my head asks warily. I smirk.

"Not very." I try something else. Taking control of John's motor functions, I straighten his back and stretch his arms out, practicing. John nods to the three vampires holding me. "Go on ahead. I'll carry her to make sure she doesn't try to escape."

They don't question the fact that my body under their hands doesn't budge when they let me go, says nothing, doesn't so much as blink.

John, having a strong gift, must be high ranking like the Twins, because the others don't question him. They duck out the door one by one, to warn Vladmir and Stefan of my approach. Once they're gone, I risk turning a fragment of my attention away from John to reach for the keys and toss them into Jane's waiting fingers.

"Phoenix, _don't you dare_ start anything stupid," Alec warns me, his voice severe. I don't listen. I dismember John quickly (a little disturbed by how natural it feels to rip his arms from his torso and detatch his legs), leaving his body parts in a pile with Jensen. The connection dies.

I spin to face Carlisle, a little disoriented. "Get everyone out," I say urgently. I throw one last agonised glance at the cage of wide-eyed humans before I race out the door, following the scents of the departed vampires before Jane can unlock the cage.

Alec yells after me.

I run, amazed by my own speed. Upstairs upstairs up more stairs, until I find another spiral staircase covered in their scents. I realise that it's leading up to a tower room.

It's a fucking huge-ass tower room! It's round and dark and swarming with vampires. It's also a lot like the Volturi's feeding chambers, complete with marble pillars and two thrones with two vampires seated regally.

I duck behind a pillar, hearing the vampire who's mind I first entered babbling in Romanian to the throned vampires, one of which I recognise as Vladmir.

I have to smother a growl in my throat to stop myself giving away my own location. Wouldn't that be fan-fucking tastic? All this work and effort just to-

A hand drops to my shoulder, and another clamps over my mouth to block off my startled yelp.

"Shh, shh, relax. It's me."

"Alec!" I hiss quietly when he spins me around to face him. He stares at my face, awed for a moment. Before I can throw my arms around his neck, he regains himself.

"What are you _thinking_?" He hisses, grabbing my upper arms roughly. I bare my teeth.

"I have to kill him," I growl, fury rippling hotly through my tensed muscles. "He bit me. _He turned me_."

"I know," Alec says, gentler now. He sighs, deep in thought.

While he's distracted, I glare into his eyes. It works. I find his power easily enough, it's very strong, it's glow in his mind is almost dominant. I grapple with it, and the mist is released onto the floor. But it's hard to hold on to, and as soon as I lose my grasp on it, I also lose my grasp on Alec. He gives a startled gasp, and as soon as he recovers from the dizzyness, his eyes narrow to black slits.

"Don't do that," he snaps angrily, and a reactive growl rumbles from deep in my chest. Alec tries to keep his angry front, but I see just how astounded he is. Well join the fucking club!

"Let me go," I demand. Vladmir is less than fifty feet away from me, and my hands ache to rip him apart.

To my astonishment, Alec actually does release his grip. His hands slide smoothly down my arms to grip my hands firmly in his. He gives one tight squeeze before letting go.

"I'll cover you," he says, while I stare at him. He's pretty... "Go! _Go_!"

I break out of my trance and run, darting out into the crowd of vampires.

They react instantly, trying to grab me with furious hands. I hear spine-chilling sounds behind me as Alec pitches heads from bodies. Soon enough, the vampires behind me drop to the marble floor, incapacitated by Alec's sensory paralysis. I dive through the ones in front of me, ducking under arms and through grasps until I reach the two self-acclaimed _kings_.

They don't look shocked to see me. I suppose in the instant the news of my survival reached them, they'd been waiting for me.

The vampire by Vladmir's side looks vaguely thrown. I can safely assume that he's Stefan. He looks just as freaky as Vladmir.

I skid to a halt and rock back on my heels when Vladmir's expression becomes furious.

"So yeah," I say in my strange new voice. An impish grin stretches my face. "I'm alive...ish."

Vladmir hisses, and throws his body at me.

I'm surprised by how easy it is to flip my body into the air, vaulting over his head and reaching down, feeling his head disconnect in my hands.

I blink when I'm on my feet again, Vladmir's body in an untidy pile. That was almost too easy. Where's the-

I'm knocked onto my face and when I spin around, Stefan is standing over me, nursing a smooth white blade in his hand.

Oh. _There's _the catch.

I have to flip myself backwards to avoid being impaled. Stefan gives a half-crazed hiss and lunges again. I snarl defensively, leaning into a crouch.

Suddenly Stefan is thrust sideways, Alec slamming into him. He catches himself on his hands, the knife clatters loudly across the floor. Alec grabs my hand and hauls me away, running back the way we came as the mist fades. More vampire soldiers file into the room, growling and cocking flame throwers.

"Come on," Alec hisses urgently. "The others are waiting for us!"

They are. Alec races me to the top floor of the whole castle where everyone, the slaves included, are waiting in front of a huge open window.

The slaves look pretty fucked up, actually. Twitching and whipping their heads around and growling any time somebody shifts. The tiny girl slave is in Esme Cullen's arms, being rocked back and forth.

"Let's go!" Demetri hisses. "It won't take long for them to come after us!"

With that, he springs out the window. A couple of seconds later, I hear the sound of him plunging through thinly iced water.

Oh shit.

"Come on!" He hisses from down below, and for a second I marvel at the fact that I can hear him.

Felix and Renata jump after Emmett and Jasper Cullen. Carlisle gently coaxes the slaves out the window, reminding them of the freedom they crave. Eventually, they all drop. Esme follows closesly, coddling the small girl. Her daughters and the half-blood (who doesn't smell almost as appealing as the humans, but inhaling her mutated scent still makes me growl a little) jump next. Carlisle leaps, leaving me and the twins.

"Go on," Jane says impatiently.

I peer anxiously over the edge. In the pitch darkness I see the Cullens crawling out at the water's edge. That's when I recall the wide lake on my way in. Flicking my eyes down, I reel in horror. I'm about five hundred feet off the ground!

I leap backwards so suddenly that I crash into Alec, who stumbles before he steadies me.

"What is it _now_?" Jane complains, glaring at me.

"You first," I demand.

Alec sighs, realising what's up with me. "Of all the things you could have brought from your human life, you bring your fear of heights!"

Jane makes a sound of disgust. "Would you like for us to escort you to the front door so we can go out that way?" She says sarcastically.

"Since you offered," I shrug, but before I can sprint back down the stairs, Alec grabs me.

"Oh no you don't!" He says, lifting me effortlessly (why the fuck can he still do that?) and plopping me down in front of the window. "We're going this way, and we're going _now_."

"Make me," I scowl.

That's when Jane gives me a hard shove in the chest, and I overbalance and topple out the window. With a delighted laugh, she jumps after me. I hear Alec sigh before he leaps too.

Huh. Falling takes a lot more time than you'd think. It's almost worse going slow, because I can see the water approaching inch by inch, black and white and fucking _wet_.

When I (fucking _finally_) plunge into the depths of the lake, it isn't nearly as cold as I'd been preparing myself for. The temperature is kind of...neutral. It doesn't bother me. Swimming comes naturally aswell, and I'm already hissing and clawing my way onto the banks when Jane plummets gracefully ino the water, followed almost instantly by her brother.

Felix whisks me out of the water, and I shake myself down like Jacob did (he made the biggest splash of all. Tsunami, anyone?) , my long hair sticking wetly to my face.

"Run," Demetri growls once Alec, last of everyone, clambers out of the lake.

Demetri leads us through a forest, unwilling to let us expose ourselves in the city. The slaves duck and dive through the underbrush like mad people, hissing and spitting if they so much as brush off eachother. Well, I guess being trapped in the same cage with the same people for a coupld hundred years might build up some resentment, huh?

Jane can't seem to run away fast enough, darting through the forest and effortlessly overtaking almost everyone. Within a few seconds, she's running neck-and-neck with Edward Cullen, and I can hear her antagonised snarling even from back here. I smirk. As arrogant and irritating as that prick is, I hope he wins.

I feel a hand, light and familliar, on the small of my back.

"Come on," Alec says, tenderness and urgency entwining strangely in his low bell voice. "They won't be long behind us."

I turn to look at his face, and a warm tingle sets up home in my lower belly. I can't seem to find the feeling of urgency while I'm staring at him. His white skin is effortlessly smooth and flawless, his lips looking like perfect berry-coloured satin. His strong jaw and intense, beaming black eyes are emphasised in the moonlight.

"What?" He asks, his brow furrowed, obviously wondering what the fuck must be up with me to transform me into a drooling zombie statue.

"You look different," I allow, unwilling to further inflate his ego by letting him in on just how beautiful he looks.

A slow grin spreads across his face. "So do you."

I touch my face in sudden alarm, feeling anxiousness roll in waves through my body.

"Different how?" I demand, my absurdly clear voice raising a few pitches higher in anxiety. Still smiling, Alec touches each side of my face with his fingertips, his hands covering mine.

"Wait until we get home," he says. "Then you'll see."

I say nothing, because his face is only milimetres from mine and I've stopped breathing. Alec's thumb touches against my bottom lip and slides without friction – silk on silk – to the corner of my mouth. My eyes slide shut, revelling in the extraordinary feelings, and knowing that if he'd touched me this lightly only a few days previous, I wouldn't have felt it.

While I'm distracted, Alec takes the oppertunity to dip his head (apparantly, vampirism hasn't done shit for my _height_, which is very, _very_ annoying) and press his lips against mine.

I respond instantly, curving my body against his and throwing my arms around his neck, feeling another kind of fire ripple through me.

He chuckles darkly and sweeps his tongue along my bottom lip, making me tremble. I meet his tongue with mine, but just as I do, sounds of pursuit from inside the castle reach my ears.

I snap away from Alec, growling. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he tries to pull me away. It makes my lip curl over my teeth in violent delight, because try as he might he can't move me. With a small growl of his own, he steps in front of me, blocking my view of the castle and instantly cutting off the _killcrushdestroy_ instincts that take over my brain when the image of my enemies flashes to centre stage.

I sigh in exsasperation, and my next words are a grumble. "No fucking body filled me in on the fact that vampirization came with violent mood swings." I jab him in the chest with my index finger, which he swipes into his fist.

"We'll argue about your lack of common knowledge later. Now let's go the fuck home before we become a Romanian appetiser."

He loosens his grip on my finger so that he can entwine his hand with mine and drag me away. As soon as my booted feet sink deliciously into the snow, instainct takes over once more, and Alec's murmured command of "_let go_" makes sense. I feel a strange kind of freedom when my legs start moving and I'm running, sprinting through the forest with such little effort that my freakyshit bell-laugh echoes hauntingly through the trees, each gnarled branch illuminated in the moonlight.

**Holy Jaysus, she's a vampire! Soz for the lack of newborn vampire persona, but I didn't really know how to portray it without making her into a savage. Oh yeah, and MERRY FREAKING CHRISTMAS!**


	21. The One

_Blood's flavour is so metallic, the smell it makes me go phrenatic,_

_Textures that I find in you, is a thick and viscous glue,_

_There's an iron smell of blood in the air,_

_But I can't find it anywhere..._

Less than twenty minutes later, Alec and Demetri get into an arguement, halting the entire race home.

"Demetri, she _won't_ make it all the way home without feeding," Alec snarls. "The females won't either. They'll break away and we'll have to stop and round them all up again. It'll waste time and give _them_ a chance to catch up with us."

I rock back on my heels when Demetri throws me a glare like it's my fault. Well, excuuuuuse me, it's not like I'm a fucking _newborn vampire_ or anything, naaah. The burn in my throat's become so fucking unbearable that I had to stop running. My firm new hands clutched at my neck in desperation and Felix (who I had started racing, hopping over his head and kicking snow at him until he returned the favour) had crashed into my back, sending us both sprawling and drawing the entire congregation to a pause to investigate the vicious growls and bitchy hisses.

"And feeding _won't_ waste time?" Demetri spits. "Look, just block off the pain in her throat and when we get home, we'll feed everyone."

The female slaves, all ansty and twitching, all look like they disagree very much with Demetri's plan, but are too afraid of him to argue (which doesn't really make sense to me. Demetri's a grumpy puppy). They want blood, right now this fucking second, and so do I. I know that even if Alec's mist blocked the pain away, the agonising _craving_ would still be there. Just the memory of the hot, slick liquid sliding down my throat makes me growl with want. Demetri inclines his head to observe me. I feel my fists clench.

"Why can't we feed when we pass the Romanian border?" I ask, trying to keep the vicious snarl from seeping into my tone. But it's difficult. It's also almost impossible to stop myself reaching for Demetri's throat and tearing his head from his shoulders, because it feels like he himself is the sole thing standing between my impossible thirst and fresh blood. I decide that taking a diplomatic approach might yeild better results, seeing as I doubt very much that Demetri would be up to negotiation once he had to re-attach his head. "They need to be fed, right the fuck _now_, and that little kid doesn't look too healthy either."

I realise too late that it might be a bad idea to draw the already antagonised Tracker's attention to the illegal child. His head snaps around to view the child in Esme's arms. I notice Esme tense, her grip on the girl tightening when Demetri's whole body turns towards them.

"I didn't realise that feeding the forbidden was a priority now," he growls. Felix seems in tune to his thoughts, his black eyes focused directly on the little girl. She feels their dangerous gazes, quivering in Esme's arms. Felix moves.

I'm surprised by what happens next. Felix drops to the ground, his back contorting unnaturally as Jane steps between him and the girl.

"We're going home, now," she says, scarily composed. "When we get there, we'll leave it up to Aro as to the girl's future. Now let's go."

Felix sags, and Alec shifts. Jane catches the movement out of the corner of her eye, and they share a purposeful gaze. Alec tips his head to the size, and Jane lifts her chin very slightly in response. I know they're communicating in the creepy as fuck twin way that they do, but I can't work out what about. Is Alec – like the Cullens, who are sharing confused glances, their eyes drifting to Edward in question – questioning Jane's motives towards saving the girl?

Felix throws Jane a furious glare but she doesn't respond.

"When we cross over into Italy, we'll all feed," she decides, and for once, I agree with her.

Renata slips to my side when Alec moves ahead to converse with his twin.

"How are you feeling?" She asks sympathetically.

"Confused, overwhelmed," I rasp, touching my throat once more. "And fucking _thirsty_. Do you think the Cullens would object too much if I ate their half-blood?"

A few angry growls and a low bark from Jacob give me my answer.

"She doesn't smell that nice anyway," I mutter, glowering fiercely at the bronze-haired girl, who pales and scurries on ahead under Mommy's arm. Renata smiles slightly at the sound of disgust that I spit from my throat.

**vVv**

After an hour or so, the pain in my throat becomes so unbearable that running becomes virtually impossible. I sink to my knees in the snow, one hand clinging to my throat and one curled into a claw incase anyone should try to shift me.

Renata hovers anxiously while the others run ahead, oblivious. I don't breathe, because every inhaled breath scorches my throat. I feel a gentle hand on the back of my head, and it feel automatic to whip my head up and snap at her fingers, growling furiously.

"Alec?" Renata calls, sounding distressed. I drop my head again – growling made the sting peak.

I hear not one, but two sets of footsteps coming in my direction. Alec crouches, his body curved over mine, while Jasper Cullen slips between Renata and I. I can't work out why _he's_ here, and I don't give the slightest shit either.

Suddenly three people crowded around me becomes three people too many, and a growl rumbles in my chest. I hate feeling confined. Claustrophobia creeps up on me, and I snap my teeth again when Alec's hand drifts near my face.

"Shh, shh, easy," Alec's voice is smooth, soothing, flowing effortlessly from his lips. I try to concentrate on his voice, his scent, but my mind almost instantly snaps back to my terrible thirst until I'm writhing in Alec's arms, my body twisting.

My hands snake up from my throat to grab at my damp hair, shaking. I grab fistfuls, realising that I'm hysteric only making me more hysterical.

"No, go on ahead," Jasper calls calmly, and I realise that I don't hear any footsteps. I tense again, and so does Alec. I can feel him prepare himself. That's when I realise that he isn't curved around me to comfort me – he's trying to _restrain_ me.

In the same second that I draw this up, Alec murmurs something to me and tries to lift me to my feet, supporting my weight completely.

He doesn't expect when I flip my body around, snarling furiously, teeth bared. My nails catch his cheek, causing a tiny crack to appear and heal within an instant. He snarls reflexively and I respond in the only way my brain tells me I can.

I open my strong jaw wide and bite down heavily on his shoulder.

The first thing that registers with my mind is just how easy it is for my teeth to shred through his clothes. His skin is a tougher, but my sharp teeth break through his marble flesh without much effort. Venom pools in my mouth, urging me to make this bite hurt as much as possible.

Alec's howled yelp of pain rings in my ears, and then I'm feeling very disoriented.

My head whirls dizzily, and I reel backwards, releasing my hold on his shoulder. Alec's hands catch me to stop me from sinking back into the snow, and my body sags slightly against him. My eyes close tightly. A whine of confusion breaks through my teeth and I feel Alec's arms come to support me again.

"What am I doing?" I mumble into his chest, feeling a little weak. Why is Alec holding me? When did he come back to Renata and I? I thought he was talking to Jane.

"Nothing," Alec says, as an eerie but comforting calm flushes through me, making me feel drowsy. "Nothing at all."

He scoops me up into his arms, Renata and Jasper hovering closely. When he begins to walk forward again, they flank him tightly.

I bury my nose in the fabric or his torn shirt and inhale deeply. His scent is musky but with a strange, sweet tangy smell, very appealling, and distinctly _male_. He gives a low, humming sigh, and it feels nice against my cheek. I find the old habit of fiddling with his shirt buttons and accidentally pull two off, both to his amusement and disdain.

In the cradle of his arms (absently I wonder if I feel any heavier to him) the confused dizzy spell wears off, and the recollection of sinking my teeth into him returns. But before I can react to the memory, the calm increases tenfold, and even though my body feels weak and drowsy with it my mind is sharp as ever.

However, it takes a while for me to realise that Renata used her shield against me. And even then, I can't find myself annoyed.

**vVv**

It takes hours and hours for us to make our way out of the forest, even when Alec places me on me feet and lets me run again. And once we _do_ make our way out, dawn is breaking and the sun starts streaming through light clouds. I see the snow taking on a new wetness, and growl in annoyance. Fucking sunshine. Ruining my nice-ass snow. What a bitch.

Felix gives an agitated sigh. "Looks like we'll have to settle down for a while. Say Demetri, are they after us? It just wouldn't do after all these days of excitement to have to sit back and be bored for hours and hours."

Demetri concentrates. "Nah," he grins at his companion. "They're sitting back licking their wounds. For now, at least."

"Damn it," Felix sighs, his eyes scoping out a new town below us.

"See any place for us to stay?" Renata asks, stretching her arms as if she's tired. I'm not tired in the least. I want to run more, but I'm currently sandwiched between Alec and Jasper and I highly doubt that any sudden burst of energy would be received well.

"What about there?" Carlisle says suddenly, pointing out a tower block of apartments.

And my thoughts go haywire.

_OMFG! Apartments equal humans and humans equal blood and fuck oh my God I am SO freaking thirsty and OMG apartments why aren't we running already ugh fuck these people are fucking slow what's their problem I'm going I'm going NOW!_

I lurch forward eagerly only to have Felix jump in front of me to block my sprint for freedom. I manage to contain my growl this time, but Felix gets an eyeful of evils and Jane snickers. The bitch. But I'll bet _her_ power would be fun to borrow sometime...

"It's empty," Demetri confirms. "On the outskirts of town, far enough from any human wanderers..."

I realise in disappointment that the tower block is run-down, with smashed windows and grafitti'd brickwork. It's a safe bet that no one's lived there in a _while_

"I don't like it. Let's go somewhere populated," I declare.

Only the slaves seem to share my opinion.

"It'll do," Demetri decides, snubbing me completely. My hiss goes unnoticed.

**vVv**

You'd think I'd be bored out my ass, squatting with almost fifty vampires and a werewolf in an abandoned apartment block. But truth be told, I was fully entertained.

"Phoenix, will you bloody _stop_ chasing dust particles!" Demetri demands, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fuck off," I spit, diving after a swirling mass of coloured-y specks. Every so often I fall under a stray sunbeam that's managed to break through the boarded up windows and stop moving altogether, both enchanted and disgusted by my glittering white skin.

Felix decides that he's bored too, so he sets to annoy Demetri by pointing out extra big specks for me to grab at. Sometimes I get them, but sometimes they whistle just out of reach.

No one else seems vaguely interested by my activities. The Cullens recide on another floor. Carlisle says it's for some 'family time', but I think they're just sick of us. Hulking Jacob can barely squeeze through the doors. Once or twice he's needed a shove through. Once or twice I've given him a shove through whether he'd needed it or not.

The slaves murmur to eachother in Romanian in a seperate room from us, but they're fully aware that they're under watch, so they don't dare to try and sneak away to hunt. Esme and Rosalie are taking turns coddling the littlest slave on their floor.

Alec and Jane recline lazily against the wall, finally allowing themselves to be relieved that we're free. Renata watches Felix and I with amusement. Whenever I spot a speck twirling way up high, I use him as a springboard. A nice, bouncy, unwilling springboard.

Eventually my lovely snowy clouds prevail, engulfing the beaming sun. I thrust my hand out the window into the daylight, relieved when I don't glitter. I am not a glitter person.

"We can hunt now. The sun's gone," I point out.

Demetri seems fixed on making me pay for irritating him "It might come back."

I sulk, flopping down beside Alec. He doesn't appreciate when I start scooping up handfuls of his hair to fiddle with.

"Go play with the dust," he orders, flipping my hands away. I scowl.

"Dust is boring."

"You didn't think so five minutes ago."

"The sun was out five minutes ago! Now I want to leave."

"No leaving. We're staying here till nightfall, and if we keep a steady pace we'll be home by the next sunrise."

The next sunrise seems eons away to someone who can't hold their attention steady for half a second.

"I'm going to see the Cullens. They're nicer than you," I declare, jumping up and diving out the door befoe he can stop me.

_Shockingly_, I'm distracted before I even get down the hall. A smashed-open window provides a sufficient view of the town. It's only a _little_ town. Not much with the hustle and bustle, really. But maybe that's a good thing. Because I know for a fucking flat out _fact_, that if we were in the centre of a dense city, that I'd be out this window and on the prowl in no seconds flat.

I sigh, folding my arms across the windowsill. I lean my head down, closing my eyes.

Well shit, I won't be able to sleep any more! I fucking _like_ sleeping. Sleeping leads to dreaming. And my dreams are – _were – _so ridiculous that they kept me entertained even in my waking hours when I thought of them.

On that desperately downhearted note, I inhale a deep breath, wanting to smell the outdoors. I smell vegetation – trees and plants galore. In the distance I can smell car fumes and human food. I can taste flavours on the air when I inhale through my mouth, and give a sharp burst of amazed laughter.

Deciding to take advantage of my other senses, I listen carefully.

This is my first newborn mistake.

The first sounds that reach my ears are...humans. Going about their carefree everyday lives, unaware of how just the sound of them alone antagonises me beyond belief.

I writhe a little, not breathing. I go to run back to the Volturi so I won't make an idiot of myself and go hunting.

Then another sound reaches me. A car, very close by. I can instantly tell, by sound and smell, that inside the car is an adult male, an adult female, and two more pre-adolescent females in the back seats.

A low growl pushes through my curled lips.

The sun isn't out.

The car is far enough away from civilisation that no human in the town can see or hear it.

The sound of four wet, rythmic pulses make my muscles tense, and venom glistens on my teeth. My eyes sharpen dangerously.

_Time to feed._

_It was foolish of them_, I console myself as, in one lithe spring, I fling myself gracefully out the window. _To expect me to wait. They themselves know just how fierce the gnawing thirst is..._

As soon as my feet graze the ground, I spin on my heel and take off after the car, following the sound and distinct scents of both the machine, and the humans within.

It takes me less than five seconds to run level with the family cruiser, less than half a second to overtake it. I brace myself in front of it, snarling in delightfully violent anticipation.

The car glides towards me so slowly that I grow impatient. When there are a hundred yards between my body and the front bumper, I sprint forward.

It's such a simple action to clamp the bumper between impossibly strong fingers and lift the vehicle above my head, dropping it on it's side so it faces back the way it came. The terrified screams from within – which send excited tingles crawling like fireants through my body – quench almost instantly when the side of the car crushes against the gravel of the road. The scent of spilling blood makes me want to cry with relief.

I hop effortlessly onto the car, tearing the back door away with a screeching groan from the protesting metal. It's like opening a Christmas present, ripping off the packaging and staring inside to the delicious centre, which, in this case, is two unconscious, bleeding girls.

I drop down into the car, which is smoking heavily and in danger of flaming. The older girl flops weakly, restrained only from gravity by her seatbelt.

My mind absently notes that she's pretty; perfect English Rose skin, soft lips and honey waves. She's at most, thirteen years old. Her limbs are slender, her waist clinching ever so slightly with beginning curves. Her chest puckers the smallest measure with the buds of developing breasts. _What a shame it is, to end this blossoming life before it begins. _However, the small stream of blood pumping from the split skin of her temple prevents me from dwelling further on this murder – for it is nothing less – and I brush her soft hair aside so my teeth can puncture her throat.

Her blood spills into my mouth and a whimpered moan escapes my lips. I suckle eagerly on the fatal wound that I cut with my own teeth, feeling the blood slip from her body until it's empty.

When I pull my head back from the dead child, it's with a gasp. The craving, the burn, still lingers. She was not enough.

I crouch lower and observe the younger sister. It's easy to dismiss that she's not as pretty as her older sibling. Only eleven at most, this girl has slightly heavier limbs and glasses perching, broken, on her snub freckled nose. She shares her sister's lovely hair, light and wonderfully soft, but hers is longer and therefore, more unruly. Her heart throbs weakly in her unendowed chest.

As I lean in, a purr of anticipation sending pleasent vibrations through my chest, a low chuckle reaches my ears.

"Aren't you going to share?" He smirks, balancing his weight on the edge of the broken door. In a graceful move, he drops and perches where he stood, his legs swinging down into my little feeding cavern.

I smirk, my teeth and tongue coated with blood. "Absolutely not. Get your own."

A hot gleam flashes in his black eyes, and he reaches down to whisk me up. I sit opposite him, and with an exaggerated sigh, cross my legs. The bottoms of my torn jeans are spattered in blood.

"I thought Demetri _ordered_ you not to hunt," he says, those penetrating eyes sparkling with unmasked amusement.

I scoff. "I'm thirsty. He knows it. He can take his _order_ and shove it up his absurdly tight ass."

Alec laughs. "Well, _I_ won't tell on you," he says. In an instant, his hand sweeps downwards, snapping the younger child's seatbelt and whipping her up to perch, unconscious, on his knee. "So long as you can find it in that gracious heart of yours to share."

I scowl, but don't argue. "Will you help me get rid of all this shit?" I ask, gesturing to the car and the humans still inside.

"Certainly," he nods. He takes the girls slightly plump wrist. "Shall we?"

Needing no further incentive, I bite down into her flesh. Alec tilts her head back lazily, observes her for a moment, then sinks his teeth into her exposed neck.

He echoes my growl of satisfaction and drains quickly. The girl is small, and her blood wastes soon enough. He tips her corpse carelessly back into the car.

"Mother dearest is already dead," he observes. The blonde woman's head is leaning, bloody and broken, against the smashed window at the bottom. Her eyes stare blankly at nothing, wide and empty, and her mouth is parted, a small trickle of blood tainting her lips.

"We should drink her next," Alec advises. "Or her blood will be too cold to be satisfactory."

"I'll drink just about anything, but whatever, you're the expert," I say as Alec tears the front door away and reaches past the twitching husband to grab his deceased wife.

"That I am," he beams, flasing his wolfy grin at me.

He takes first bite this time, and with a sigh of contentment, I lean my body over so I can get my fair share.

The man wakes up when we're still drinking. Maybe it's the shock, or it _could_ be the huge patch of blood staining his white shirt crimson, but he starts to scream in fear and agony. With a hiss of annoyance, Alec lifts his face from the woman's shoulder to snap the man's neck, ending his girlish shrieking in an instant.

He pushes the woman at me so he can swing himself inside the car and begin drinking Daddy. Alec unbinds the man from his seatbelts and stands him up so that he can bite into the throat. When I finish with the mother, I push her down on top of her daughters and join Alec in his feeding. I feed from the opposite side of the throat, and as I'm lost in the hot relief sliding down my throat, warming it, I feel Alec's hand slide around to hold the back of my head.

When the man runs try, Alec moves so he can drop, no longer trapped between our bodies. I peer up at Alec, who's chest moves with unneeded, heavy breaths. When I inhale sharply through my mouth, I can taste the blood in the air. Alec's hand is still holding my head, his fingers entangled in my mane of hair (what I wouldn't kill for a hairbrush right the fuck now).

Suddenly, blood is only one of my cravings.

I place a hand on Alec's torn, now bloody, shirt, curiously feeling the hot, sticky substance under my fingers.

"I'm still thirsty," I rasp. The burn is only muted a small measure. "Why?"

"You're a newborn," Alec says, his voice low. He touches his forehead to mine. "Newborns are insatible."

I give a harsh sigh that sounds too much like a moan. "That's not fair."

Alec laughs. "I believe I've told you time and again; _life_ isn't fair."

He distracts me from my thirst by placing his lips over mine. They move sensually, sending shockwaves of want sizzling through me. His hand leaves my head, and his arms wrap around my waist. One of my hands grabs a fistful of his ruined shirt, and the other touches his lovely throat.

He pushes his welcome tongue into my mouth, and I can taste the blood on it. It takes every fibre of willpower in me to hold back the reactive moan. Need claws at me, and Alec's firm body pressed against mine makes me tremble. My hands move and my nails scrape against his back.

His mouth moves and I feel his lips and teeth tease the hard, white flesh of my neck. Whimpering, I press my face into his shoulder, inhaling his mouth-watering scent.

My nails dig into his waist when I feel another type of hardness press between my hips. I can't stop the moan this time.

The sun breaks once more through the clouds, shining rapturiously on us and reflecting off our strange skin.

I sigh, feeling Alec shift away slightly. Damn the sun. Fuck it to hell! Now Alec's gonna be all _sensible _an' shit.

He chuckles, seeing my disgruntlement. Taking one hand, he strokes my cheek. "In time."

**vVv**

Alec helps me set up the car to look like an accident. It's a clever rouse, Alec even snaps some cords in the enjine to make up for the lack of tyre tracks on the ice. When we get back to the apartment block, nobody even seems to realise that we've been gone.

The run home should have been tedious and dull, but the sheer thrill of running at the incredible speed keeps me amused.

"Home sweet fucking home!" Felix cries when we near Volterra, many many hours later. A fearful tumult of murmurs breaks through the crowd of slaves, and I can imagine what they're thinking – The Volturi and the Romanians are very alike. Are they just switching from one fortress to another? Will being under the Volturi's rule be any better than being under Vladmir and Stefan (coughLITERALLYcough)? Will it be _worse_?

My musings cut off when I set my new eyes on the city, bathed in snow and moonlight. A sharp gasp gusts through my parted lips, and Jane _actually_ smiles, which very nearly prompts another gasp.

The city is beyond it's own beauty. My eyes flicker over the spectacular scene, drinking in every detail.

Emmett's triumphant whoop breaks through my mesmerised trance. Suddenly the entire group errupts in heartfelt cheers, jumping all over eachother and hugging fiercely. Jacob lets rip a deafening howl of glee that makes everyone cringe. Then we run.

We sprint through Volterra, shrieking and clamouring, confident in the fact that we're far too fast to be seen. Picking up on everybody else's hyper energy, I start bouncing off walls, and no one thinks to stop me.

We can't get down that damned manhole fast enough. This time, I don't need to be shoved. I throw myself downwards second, after Demetri. And he ain't best pleased when I land with my feet on his shoulders, standing with a grin on my face. He whips me down fastlike. I wait, bouncing on the balls of my feet, until Alec touches my elbow, and then I'm off running.

I have absolutely zero fucking clue of the way (being a vampire has probably _worsened_ my catastrophic sense of direction) and these tunnels are complicated. Luckily, someone or other always grips me around the waist and flips me in the right direction before I can go sprinting down some unending tunnel and get myself lost. Something tells me that a frantic newborn racing around the underground tunnels of Volerra wouldn't end well.

Suddenly wonderfully artificial light bursts into my line of view. Demetri throws open some random door, and then we're tumbling into the reception area, all of us, almost fifty vampires and a giant wolf.

The reception desk is empty. I pout.

"Where's my old buddy Gianna? I want a snack," I say, unable to stop the almost lustful tone from entwining with my words.

However, Felix and Demetri have started running like mad people towards the throne room, and soon after they disappear from sight I hear hysterical screaming.

Alec grabs my hand and drags me forward, and when we break through the heaving crowd into the dark, circular room, I'm overwhelmed by sensations.

Sights; people embracing, sobbing, laughing, cowering, peering around, grabbing ahold of eachother in a desperate search for comfort. Aro bouncing out of his throne with a look of utter shock on his face. Caius and Marcus sharing a dumbstruck glance. Heidi leaping into Demetri's arms (either an _awh_ moment or a _retch_ moment. So far I'm not quite sure...) Chelsea sweeping Jane into her embrace.

Sounds; the sounds of crying, shrieking, whimpering, laughter. The strange sound of rubber squelching as Corin bounces in her running shoes. Murmured words from one to another, the sounds of stone smashing as Felix and Santiago share a triumphant fistpump.

Feelings; being jostled in the crowd, feeling my teeth gnash together in irritation. The burn in my throat acting like a second reflex which my mind snaps back to every few minutes. Skin brushing off mine, soft and natural. The feeling of Alec's hand slipping out of mine as Chelsea drags him into a crushing hug, her face contorted in tearless sobbing.

I stand, trying to regain myself, feeling a little lost. Then in a movement so sudden that it makes me hiss, Santiago gives a yell and throws his arms around me, lifting me right off the ground.

"_Phoenix_!" He yelps, swinging me to and fro. I clench my teeth together to fight the urge to bite down on his exposed throat. "Oh my God! Thank God you're okay! I was s...so..._OHMYGOD_!"

Santiago's disturbingly femenine screech draws everything to an amusing standstill. Santiago throws himself away from me unceremoniously, looking like someone just smashed his face with a frying pan (which I absolutely did not do once...or twice... and I absolutely, _absolutely_ did not call the imprinted dents the Shroud of Santiago. Absolutely not). I smile sheepishly, showing my sharp white teeth. Santiago chokes, on nothing.

"Holy _shit_," Corin blurts out, her arms stiffening around Renata's neck.

Aro turns, and his expression becomes completely...well...flabbergasted. My mind shrieks at me. _ABORT! HEY YOU WITH THE GROWLING! TIME TO EL SHIFTO RIGHT OUTTA HERE. THE CREEP MASTER SURE DON'T LOOK HAPPY..._

I skitter backwards, crashing into Jacob, who gives me a violent nudge forwards with his huge nose. I skid to a stop just as Aro moved to stand in front of me, an open-mouthed Caius by his side.

My sheepish smile returns. "So...yeah...I, like, survived..." I say. Upon no response whatsoever, I realise that the entire room has fallen to a deathly silence.

Whoa oh. This can't end well.

"And I like, ripped Vladmir's head off, but I didn't get to take it with me because Alec dragged me away..." I warble, feeling anxious. Why do silences make me so anxious?

Alec slips to my side, his whole form tense. Jane looks smug.

Finally, Aro makes a sound. A strange choking sound that springs the whole room back to life. Shocked oh-my-gosh-this-is-just-SCAN-DEL-OUS! Mutters flush through the room, making me wince as Aro recovers and sets his businesslike stare on me.

"How...how did this happen?"

Alec digs his nails into my arm before I can respond with a sarcastic comment of some sort, I hiss reflexively and jerk away from him.

"Vladmir bit her," Alec explains. "Draining her. He meant to kill her."

"Incompitent fool," Caius says, oddly uneffected by my whole immortality dealy.

"I see," Aro murmurs, and I can see the gears whizzing in his head. "And what say you, young Phoenix? You caused us all a great deal of panic when Santiago revealed to us that you had taken it upon yourself to gallivant off to Romania."

Santiago grins guiltily when I shoot him an angry glare. I turn back to Aro when he clears his throat, regaining my attention.

"Well you guys were never gonna do it," I mutter. "And everyone's safe, aren't they? I mean, I think I did a pretty awesomeshit job. Apart from the whole dying fiasco."

Aro looks bemused. "You certainly did." He holds out his hand. "If I may."

I grimace, hesitating. I like keeping my thoughts to myself. Thought are meant to be personal things, y'know? But I'm guessing that Aro's gonna insist. So, reluctantly, I place my hand in his.

A hundred and one different emotions flash across his face, a kaleidescope of reactions to my memories. He gives a sharp gasp after a while and drops my hand.

"_Incredible_!" He cries, practically dancing on the spot. "Truly incredible! Child, I must insist on a demonstration."

He looks at me with eager eyes, and I can guess what he's referring to. Caius looks completely puzzled. Even Marcus rises from his seat and drifts forward curiously.

Well, if Aro wants a demonstration, then a demonstration is what Aro shall have!

With a wicked grin, I pierce Aro's mine with mine. In the corner of my mind, I hear Alec whispering, "oh fuck," his voice full of dread.

I see with my own eyes as Aro's body sags a little bit as I take control of his motor functions. I use this to extend his arm, searching for Caius's hand. Caius still looks perplexed as he places his hand in Aro's.

There's another rush.

Every single thought that Caius ever posessed flashes through my mind at the speed of light, and if I wasn't a vampire I'd never be able to process them before they disappear again. Three thousand years of history drain into my mind.

Three things occur to me.

1) Caius is one demented fucker. Seriously! What a damned psycho. I really don't understand why we don't get along better.

2) I can understand why the Romanians hate the Volturi. Damn, these guys took those fuckers _out_! But the Volturi are seriously corrupt. Like damn! But what government isn't? Can anyone tell that I'm an active conspiracy theorist?

3) Athenodora is sexy. Wait. This isn't _my_ opinion, even though the chick I've never met sure ain't hard on the eyes. But Caius sure thinks so! I feel a violent shudder pass through my body as images of Caius doing the nasty traumatise me for life. Curse this fucking photographic memory!

Holy shit like! Upon this truly disturbing notion, the connection between Aro and I breaks.

He staggers forward, gasping and clutching his head, just as I yelp; "DAMN! Caius! Man! Some of those things are fucking _illegal_ in this country! Bleugh, thank you _very_ much for that therapy-inducing experience."

Some of those who are aware of my little mind control dohickey bust up laughing, almost crying with the effort not to howl hysterically. Even Alec, who whips me behind him out of head-ripping distance, starts shaking with silent laughter. Caius looks vicious, even though I'm pretty sure he has no clue what I'm on about.

Aro straightens up, eyes wide, on hand still holding the side of his head.

"Astounding," he gasps, breathing hard. "Truly...just remarkable."

"Uh, Aro man, do you need to like, sit down?" I ask, coz I'm such a nice fricking person and all that.

"Not a terrible suggestion," Aro breathes, sinking into his throne. Caius looks incredibly frustrated.

"Heidi, my dear," Marcus says, his voice silencing the confounding babble once more. Heidi looks up from Demetri's face. (I've made up my mind. It's a retch moment.) "I have some requests for you."

"Of course, Master," Heidi replies, ever obedient.

"Firstly, I need you to settle our young ladies into some guest rooms for us," Marcus nods at the slaves, realising instantly who they are.

"Of course," Heidi repeats, untangling herself from the Tracker's tight embrace.

"Secondly, go out and fetch us a bountiful feast. I know that we're all very thirsty."

"I sure am," I mutter from under Alec's arm. I go ignored once more. He gives me a small squeeze.

Marcus drifts into the crowd until he comes to stand in front of Rosalie Cullen. The tiny immortal child sits at her feet, her tiny thumb stuck between her lips. A universal "awh" passes through the room when she lifts her arms for Marcus to pick her up, which he instantly does.

"I need you to take responsibility for this child," Marcus passes the little girl to dumbstruck Heidi, who's arms form an automatic cradle for the girl. "Until we've decided what's to be done about her."

Heidi's eyes glaze over with unsheddable tears as the tiny vampire buries her face in Heidi's hair. Demetri's former hostility for the forbidden child seem to vanish as he places a hand on the small of Heidi's back, standing close enough to her that the little girl can reach out and touch his arm.

**vVv**

I sure feel a lot better after a long shower (which lasts only five minutes. I stand astounded) and a change of clothes. When I step out of the bathroom, towelling my hair dry, Corin and Alec are arguing in the centre of the bedroom.

"Corin! Fuck _off_ will you," he says, sounding completely exsasperated.

"No I will not," she pokes her tongue out at him. That's when I notice Renata and Chelsea hovering in the doorway. Renata throws me a _look_, both warning and apologising on behalf of her spirited best friend.

"You said I could be here, and I'm here!" Corin declares, her hands on her hips. I notice that she and Alec are exactly the same heigth, which makes me grin. That has to irritate him.

"I said that to shut you up!" Alec growls.

"Dare I even ask?" I question aloud, drawing Corin and Alec's attention to me. Corin whirls away from Alec to stand in front of me.

"Alec promised me that the first time you saw your new self, I could be here! So here I am, like it or not."

Chelsea steps inside smoothly, despite Alec's obvious annoyance. "We are here for the same reason," she smiles, and Renata dodges around her to stand beside me.

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously, and Corin bounds away to drag something inside the room. It's a mirror.

"Look and see," Alec says, as Corinleans it to stand against the wall.

"There," she smiles, gesturing eagerly for me. "Look! Now! I demand you look!"

With a curious what-the-actual-fuckery glance at their encouraging expressions, I glide forward and plant myself in front of the mirror before I'm thrown into it. I glance up at my reflection and fall completely still.

Everyone waits in silence, gauging my reaction. Alec drifts to stand beside me after a moment, looking nervous upon my lack of reaction.

"What do you think?" He asks quietly.

What a fucking question.

The girl that stares back at me looks completely dumbfounded. Her plump, pale lips are parted slightly under her straight nose. Her eyes glow the most remarkable red, as if there's a light behind them, illuminating them to the max. The eyes have a wickedly catlike quality to them that scream _dangerous_ like a beacon. Her heart shaped face is encaged in hair so black that it contrasts ridiculously with her whiter than white skin. The blackness tumbles in heavy, uneven waves to low on her ribs, but her bangs still fall choppily over her forehead. She's still aggrivatingly little, but appears wonderfully slender beneath the creamy skin. Her waist curves smoothly beneath the black velvet of her bathrobe, which falls to her lithe, perfectly toned thighs. Her breasts swell generously underneath the robe, and when her mouth parts further in shock, pearly, even teeth gleam sharply. They bite down on her bottom lip as her head tilts sideways.

Alec stands beside her, tall and Godlike. His expression reads hers as she pulls her eyes away from her own reflection to glance at his. A wide, smug smile stretches his face.

Corin, to the right of me, smirks. "Hot or _what_?" She says.

I ignore her, reaching out with one hand to touch my fingertips to the mirror. In a shocking movement, the whole reflective surface cracks and shatters into tiny fragments, and when I yank my arm back in shock, tiny reflective splinters rest on the pads of my white fingers.

**Next chapter is M RATED! Yeah, ya'll heard me, be ready xD**


	22. The Heat

**Would like to thank jasonlovesbitches for being my perverted story stalker xD Because c'mon, every writer needs a perverted story stalker, it's just a need!**

**Oh yeah, and no fricking body mentioned to me that I was spelling Vladimir wrong like a complete twat Dx Constructive critisism is also welcome, y'know? Well, I probably won't LISTEN to it, but spelling names wrong really pisses me off, even when it's me.**

**ALSO! Many sozzies for lack of update, but I got myself a part-time job in a Supermarket (don't ask...it's a trying-to-prove-someone-wrong scenario) and I'm fricking EXHAUSTED and don't have much time for writing.**

_So breathe, breathe, I've got you on your knees,_

_She's a tease, I hold the keys,_

_Exposed and shaken up,_

_I suppose we're makin' love..._

More weeks pass, and Aro has me working out like there's no freaking tomorrow.

Not physically working out, of course. After all, no immortal body can be improved upon. Nah, he has me excersising my gift. That wouldn't be so dreadful if I wasn't so fucking _thirsty_ all the time. Whenever I get the slightest bit distracted, I lose whatever connection I manage to form. Then Caius barks at me for not paying attention. I hiss. Things get broken. Aro sighs.

It's like our mid-morning routine.

There's a bitty bit of tension with Caius. He says it's because I was sired by Vladmir and not Aro, that I'm 'Romanian bred' and 'untrustworthy'. But really, I think he's just embarassed that I saw all the freaky shit he does with his wife. And that I now have the habit of calling him by his Athenodora's pet names for him, which nobody but (a very amused) Aro understands. And Caius is far too mortified to do shit about it, so I'm all smiles there man!

There are other kinks with my gift, like when I try to make someone walk when they're under my influence. Oh, they walk alright...for about two fucking steps, then their bodies crumple and refuse to get up until I lose my temper and break the connection myself.

Also, I need eye contact to initiate it, but Aro says I should be able to scratch that after more practice. Apparantly Jane needed eye contact at first to inflict that burning horror on someone, but not any more. Aro keeps comparing my gift to hers, which just riles her up and makes her glare at me some more. She hasn't turned her gift on me yet, mostly because Alec would kick her skinny ass into next week. But we both have to admit that there are some similarities with our talents. Like we can only focus on one person at a time.

Also, there's a kind of 'hangover' effect when I withdraw from somebody's mind. The deeper the connection goes and the longer it holds out, the worse it is. Aro desribes it as a dizzy, unaware sensation, like the person's mind it trying to re-ajust to being in it's owners control. Aro wants me to practice on inflicting that, too, saying it could come in handy as a battle skill.

But it effects me too. Maintaining the connection for a long period of time and working other people's powers wears me out. But Aro says that's why I need the 'workout.' I'm glad Felix taught me to cuss in Italian.

Oh yeah, the Cullens finally vamoosed off home, acting like they couldn't get out of here fast enough. I had to laugh at that, seeing as the Volturi seemed desperately eager to get rid of them, too. Also, they took the majority of the slaves along with them.

Carlisle has taken it as his official responsibility to find homes for all the women. For those willing to live by his weirdo diet, he divided down the middle. Some he kept on himself, and otehrs he sent up to Eleazar in Alaska (apparantly Eleazar was flabbergasted beyond words to hear that Vladimir had changed me, and he's planning another visit to Volterra sometime in the future). Some of them are still with us – the wilder few that need some dicipline, as Caius puts it. The remainder of the others went nomadic, with Aro's permission, hunting down old friends or covenmates from before they were enslaved.

The immortal shild is still in Heidi's care, and I think everybody's kinda worried. The girl – named Sandrine, we discovered – was doing well, all things considered. Heidi fed her regularly, more often than the rest of us. Aside from a few broken things and temper tantrums (Caius always bitched that Sandrine was more level-headed than I was, which only resuled in more broken things. Silly Caius), she was doing pretty well. But over everything else, she was still one of the forbidden children. I heard Demetri confiding in Felix that he worried Heidi was becoming too attached to Sandrine, and he was scared of what loosing another child would do to her.

Aro has me training for at least six hours a day, but after that I'm free to do what I like. Sometimes I play with my talent.

I take control of people and make them do silly things. Like I made Felix spring bridal-style into Afton's arms and plant a kiss on him, then immediately took the connection away just so they'd yelp and spring apart. The whole room collapsed in helpless laughter. Even Chelsea, and it was her husband who'd been molested. Afton didn't appreciate me telling her that she'd be tasting Felix for weeks.

One day we were all curled up watching TV – coz hell, even vampires need relaxation time sometimes – and I cast my eyes on Demetri. I nudged Felix and made Demetri speak: "Nyx is the awesomest freaking person alive and I absolutely love her coz, like, she's amazing and all that shit and she's also super-freaking-hot and SOOO much prettier than Caius and is anyone recording this why is no one recording this?"

He chased me from the room with a little white pocketknife. It was so fucking worth it.

But whenever I wasn't working out or 'making mischief,' as Aro so daintily put it, I had a lot of free time. No sleeping meant that I had at minimum six extra hours in the day. That's a lot more time to focus on my cravings. Well, _obsess_ over them would be more accurate. Turns out there are more than one. Three, mainly.

The first, obviously, is blood. I want it all the time and when I don't have it it drives me insane. People are getting irritated by my frequently abrupt, unpredictable whines. Sometimes the thirst is so blindingly painful that Alec has had to turn his gift on me. And fuck if I don't like it.

The second is violence. I was hardly a gentle person to begin with, but this is ridiculous. At any oppertunity, I'll brawl with someone, just to unleash my insufferable strength and energy. More often than not I'll lose. The vampires that fight me have been training for centuries, and know just how to put a newborn flat on her poor 'lil back. This aggrivates me and makes the bloodlust even stronger, but they don't dare throw any fights for my benefits, because somehow that just infuriates me even more.

And lastly, but _fuck _it isn't least...well, I'm just plain-out horny. All. The freaking. Time.

I almost feel bad for Aro, who has to read my perverted thoughts any time his skin brushes mine. Almost.

Oh yeah, and Alec is a complete bullshitter, by the by. His promise of 'in time' turns out to be a _whole lot_ of fucking time. Apparantly it's all Caius's fault too.

"He says that you don't need any more..._distractions_...when you train," Alec says apologetically.

Another thing about being a newborn? No matter how old, mature and level-headed they might have been as a human, that all flies out the window once changed. Temper tantrums are au naturale. So imagine how the fuck _I_ react to things.

Let's just say, Alec needs a new bedroom door. And window. And TV.

And y'know what? I'm freaking _glad_ I broke all his crap in the midst of a complete all-out shitfit. Because sixteen year old boy or not, he seems completely composed when it comes to hormones, and I am very, very not.

And that's just not freaking fair.

He currently thinks I completely hate him or some shit, because I won't even be in the same room as him if I can help it. At first it made him angry, which made _me_ angry, which didn't bode well for the surroundng ornaments. So he kinda backed off a little, but he still gives me little hurt what-did-I-do looks whenever he manages to catch my eye.

Truth be told? He did fuck all, that's what he did. That's the whole point. I can't even _look_ at the bitch without some bizzarre sex scenario popping into my mind. It drives me up the fucking wall and then some.

"Are you okay, Nyx?" Renata asks, looking concerned.

I bite my lip. Whoops. "Uh, yeah," I reply. "Why?"

Corin smirks knowingly. I freeze. "Coz Nyxie dear, you just moaned," she grins.

Yeah. Big fucking whoops there. "I'm fucking _thirsty_. Is it dinnertime yet?"

Renata stands up, trying to be helpful. "I'll go ask Heidi when she's heading out," she smiles sympathetically and dashes away.

Well, now I actually _am_ thristy, so I don't feel bad about the teeny white lie I just told. Teeny, tiny, practically nonexistant.

Corin sighs. "Damn. I love that girl, but she's totally naive," Corin shakes her head, and then her eyes skewer into me again, a wicked grin on her face. "I know what's _really_ up with you."

Fuck. "No you don't," I dismiss, getting up to leave.

Corin hops up too. "Oh yes I do."

My patience is balancing on a tightrope. A damn thin tightrope. "How do you?" I demand.

Corin smirks again, and I have to resist the urge to pummel her face in. "Because one, you're not even trying to deny that there's something seriously up with you, and two, I went through the exact same thing. Trust me, I know newborn hormones when I see 'em."

I blink, astonished. There goes any chance of defense. "You do?" I reply dumbly.

"Sure do. Oh please! In the first fricking _week_ of my newborn life at the Volturi, I'd already jumped into bed with Felix. _And_ Demetri," she snorts. "Not at the same time though. The prudes."

I grin. See, this is why I love Corin really. She's a complete outright pervert.

"Sounds like you had a fun first year," I say, trying not to sound jealous.

"The best," she grins. "So, how come Alec ain't putting out? Doesn't sound like him."

I grit my teeth. "Caius," I growl. "He says I'm not allowed any 'distractions' while I'm training. But I think he's just putting a damper on my sex life because I know all about his."

Corin gives a small shudder. "Ew. I sure don't envy Aro's gift. But anywho, Alec's actually _listening_ to Caius? The hypocrite."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

Corin flops lazily back onto the sofa and pats it for me to sit. I do, crossing my legs.

"Let me tell you a little story," Corin declares, flipping her white-blue hair over her shoulders. "About this guy. Right, his name was, um...Aleksander." I laugh silently, shaking my head. "And he had had a difficult life. And in this life, well, he didn't exactly have the time or the oppertunity to get laid. So when the poor kid got turned into a vampire, everything got amplified. And damn girl, I mean _everything_," Corin winks. "Hormones included. Of course, young and naive as poor little Aleksander was, he didn't really know what was up with him. And being a newborn and all, he didn't really know how to distinguish between his cravings. So he got wilder and more uncontrollable by every passing day."

A small groan from the doorway stops Corin in her tracks. Renata stands there, holding her forehead. "Corin!" She complains. "You're really telling her _this_ story?"

"It's neccissary!" Corin insists. "Now sit down and be quiet. I'm getting to the good part."

With an anguished expression, Renata hops over the back of the sofa and curls up beside me.

"Anywho," Corin continues. "Aleksander's sire, um, Arwin-"

Renata and I bust up into laughter, and Corin waves her hands at us impatiently. "Shush! Anyway, Arwin got real worried about Aleksander, wondering what the fuck could be up with him to make him so crazy. Arwin decided to observe Aleksander to see if he could work out what was troubling the kid, but he didn't have much luck.

"So then along came, er..."

"Coraline?" Renata suggests. Corin grins.

"Sure, why not? Along comes Cori...errm, Coraline, and she's got a clue what's up with him. So, considerate and kindhearted as she is-"

"Ha!" Renata scoffs. "Let me rephrase. Conniving and _horny_ as she is, she decides to solve both their problems by seducing Aleksander. Of course, he needs very little convincing. But little does he know, Coraline is actually using her gift on him to keep him blindly happy and ignorant to her alterior motives. However, the side effects of her gift soon kick in, and Aleksander becomes rather dependant on Coraline.

"Coraline knows that if, uh, _Arwin_, and Aleksander's mentors, Erik and Charmion, found out that she was sleeping with Aleksander, she'd be in for a whole lotta trouble. So she convinces Aleksander to keep it a secret, and Aleksander agrees easily.

"However, Arwin becomes suspicious of Aleksander's sudden transformation. He's become a lot calmer and more rational, and a lot more docile. But how could this be? Arwin doesn't want to invade Aleksander's privacy by reading his memories, but he employs Erik to keep a special eye on him.

"A few months down the line, Coraline gets another idea," Renata says, throwing Corin a glower. Corin shrugs easily, grinning. "She decides that Aleksander should earn what she gives him. So poor Aleksander gets lumbered with all her chores while she kicks back and relaxes. And of course he does them willingly. However, one day Charmion comes across Aleksander doing Coraline's work, and is puzzled.

" 'How come you're doing Coraline's chores?' She asks.

" 'I want to,' Aleksander replies. 'I don't mind.'

"Charmion is completely baffled. Aleksander rarely does his _own_ chores. So Charmion decides to go to Coraline. Charmion demands and answer as to why Aleksander is working, and Coraline is very sly.

" 'He is?' She says. 'That's sweet of him. I told him I was tired and I had a lot of chores to do. He suggested that I relax for a while. I didn't know he was going to go off and do them for me!'

" 'However, Charmion is wise and not easily fooled. She knows that Aleksander is still very reserved and will rarely speak to anyone outside his sister and mentors. She goes back to Aleksander and asks him outright if Coraline asked him to do her chores.

"Now, Aleksander loves and trusts Charmion like a mother, and would not lie to her, so he says yes. Charmion is completely puzzled, and asks why he agreed. This time Aleksander grows quiet. But now Charmion has a suspicion. She knows Coraline, and knows of her premiscuous ways. Charmion realises that Aleksander wouldn't betray Coraline's trust if there was something in it for him, so she takes Aleksander to Arwin.

"Arwin is very angry when he reads Aleksander's thoughts, and Aleksander grows very afraid. Arwin assures Aleksander that it's not him that he's angry at. Aleksander has been played the fool. Arwin sends Charmion to fetch Coraline to him, and allows Erik to take Alexsander away.

"Erik tries to explain to Aleksander that Coraline has taken advantage of him, but Aleksander can't understand and doesn't believe it. Erik decides not to push the subject as he can see that Aleksander is quite upset. He decides to let Aleksander learn for himself, because Erik knows that Coraline is in a lot of trouble-"

"And _fuck,_ did Coraline get in trouble!" Corin interjects, rolling her eyes. "Arwin came very close to ripping poor Coraline into tiny little pieces and setting her on fire, but he didn't. Cause Coraline's a nice fricking person."

Renata snorts again, causing Corin to swipe at her.

"Anyway," Renata continues. "Coraline is very very pissed that she'd gotten into such trouble. She instantly jumps to the conclusion that Aleksander has told on her to someone, and she's very mad at him.

"After the whole incident, Charmion and Erik decide to keep Aleksander under very tight watch, so he almost never has the oppertunity to go and see Coraline. When he finally manages to slip away, he's shocked by the angry reception awaiting him. He can't comprehend why on earth Coraline is so furious with him. He quickly grows frustrated, but because of the addictive effect of her gift and the fact that he craves it, he finds himself unable to lash out at her. So when she finally finishes giving him a piece of her mind and kicks him out, he's full of supressed rage.

"Erik has been looking for Aleksander, and eventually finds him perched alone on a windowsill, watching the rain. Erik unknowingly places a hand on Aleksander's shoulder.

"Now, when Aleksander first arrived, he was seriously opposed to people touching him, or his sister. However, he got over that in time-"

"Well _obviously_, if he and Coraline were fucking like rabbits," Corin butts in, rolling her eyes. Renata returns the gesture.

"BUT!" Renata continues. "Erik startles him, and Aleksander fully lashes out at his mentor. Aleksander has his newborn strength and his rage and gives poor Erik a good thrashing. Eventually Erik manages to get Aleksander calmed down enough to stop the fight altogether. Afterwards, Arwin completely forbids Aleksander and Coraline from being alone together.

"By now, Coraline knows that Aleksander didn't set out to get her into trouble and that any involvement on his part was accidental – but she's still irritated."

"Sooo," Corin intervenes. "Coraline sets a little challange upon herself. Vampires keep visiting the Volturi, some out of curiosity, others out of social calls. Either way, Coraline starts fucking anything with a dick, to get at Aleksander."

"Which works," Renata sighs. "Eventually Aleksander gets fed up of Coraline treating him like shit, so he takes her bad example and starts sleeping around."

"Hey hey," Corin holds her hands up in defense. "It wasn't _just_ my influence. Do you think Felix and San and Metri sat back and let him stew? No they did not. I'll bet my next damn paycheck on the fact that it was Felix's idea."

"Alright, alright," Renata relents. I'm amused by the fact that Corin was upset at being called a bad example, and not at Renata saying she treated Alec like shit. Awh, Corin's such a funny. "Anywho, they start getting compeditive with one another, and eventually end up sleeping together a couple more times. And a couple more times after that. Now tell me, Corin, what was the _point_ of telling this story?"

"I forget," Corin grins widely. "Oh yeah, that's it. The moral of the story, Nyx, is that Alec is a hypocrite coz he's denying you sex when he would have thrown an ever holy shitfit if I'd ever refused him."

"Which you didn't," Renata says, resting her cheek on her fist.

"Which I didn't," Corin nods. "Nice storytelling by the way, Renata. But you forgot the little detail of when we had a threesome."

I splutter with laughter, imagining Alec's face on _that_ suggestion from the white-haired vampire. "You and Alec had a threesome?"

Corin smiles hugely, looking like a little kid that's thrust it's face into it's birthday cake and ended up looking like a clown in makeup. "Sure did," Corin sings. "With Renata."

My jaw drops, and Corin reclines, crossing her ankles and tucking her arms behind her head. I try very hard not to laugh, _really_ I do, seeing as Renata looks beyond completely mortified, her eyes round and lips parted in a tiny 'o'. But...well damn, it's probably the least likely thing I've ever heard! Tame little Renata knockin' it back with Alec and Corin! Dayum, that's fucking awesome.

"Thats..." My lips tremble with the _extreme_ effort it takes not to laugh. "That's...the best fucking thing I've ever heard!"

I break down laughing. Renata becomes enflamed.

"Corin!" She fumes.

"What?" Corin laughs, dragging the word out. Soon her tremours get the best of her and she collapses with helpless laughter too.

See? This is why I don't harbour completely crippling hatred for the Volturi. They're the most ridiculous, all-round fucked up people I've ever met. So I fit right it with no hassle.

Renata gives Corin an uncharactaristically violent shove which send the whole sofa toppling backwards. But us, being awesomely reflexive vampires, manage to hop to our feet before we end up sprawling on the ground like three fools on vodka shots.

After a few more stifled giggles, Renata looks fit for murder. I slide a step away, deciding that this is one brawl I'd rather watch than fight.

"I hate you, Corin," Renata growls furiously. Corin still can't seem to take it seriously.

"Not what you said that night," Corin winks, causing Renata to give the sofa a fierce kick, splitting the whole thing in half with cracks and ripping sounds galore. Renata storms away, fists clenched.

Corin gives a happy sigh. "Awh, I love giving her a hard time."

"She looked pretty upset," I realise, feeling bad. Renata's the only person here who's always been constant in her niceness towards me. I feel all funny inside for making her feel all embarrassed an' shit. I give an inward groan. See? This is why I liked to avoid human contact as a...well...human. Being with people results in people emotions and, forward and harsh as I tend to be, others (mostly girls. Guys don't take shit to heart.) reacted with overenduced sensitivity to my words and actions. Thus, solidarity seemed like the less complicated, more peaceful existance. Damn, I miss it.

Sighing, I make a move towards the door. My head snaps around and I have to press my lips together to stop my teeth from showing when Corin places a restraining hand on my shoulder.

"Don't," she says, her voice weirdly gentle. "I'll let her sulk for a while to get it out of her system – then I'll go find her."

I relax. "Alright," I agree. "I'm gonna go before you tell me anything _else_ that's gonna make me think too hard."

Corin grins again when I bob towards the door. Suddenly I whirl back. "Where'd you come up with those names anyway? I mean, Arwin?" My lip curls.

Corin laughs sunnily. (is sunnily a word? Well, it is now.) "Well, Charmion was Chelsea's human name. Aleksander is Alec's full name too."

"Really?" I reply, dumbstruck. "I thought Alec was Alec's name."

Corin giggles. "And Arwin? I just thought it sounded funny."

I roll my eyes at her and run out, twirling the name 'Aleksander' on my tongue, and liking how it sounds.

**vVv**

Is it just me, or does the name 'Aleksander' completely scream hot, wet, orgasm-inducing sex?

Nah, I think it's just me. On the less-horny side of my brain, Aleksander sounds like a nerd's name.

But whatever. I can't get the damned name out of my head as I recline on Alec's loveseat, reading. It's a book I whipped from the Library on my way up. _Child of the Mist_. Sounds gay, right? It's actually not. I brought it up to amuse myself with poking fun of some lame-ass characters, only to end up liking the fricking thing.

But no matter how many pages I turn, no matter how much I try to emmerse myself in the story, my brain remains firmly in the gutter and refuses to budge for love or money. The word _Aleksander_ twists in my mind, and I imagine it coming as a scream from my own lips.

With a barely supressed groan, I palm my forehead, my eyes squeeznig shut.

_Fuck this fuck this fuck this_! I hate Alec! That prick. Why won't he fuck me already? I'm having serious doubts about his sexuality right now. I mean, really! I'm here ripe and ready for him, and he seems to be walkin' in a constant cold shower.

That prude.

I bite down hard on my lip, trying to banish all bad thoughts from my head.

Damn, maybe it's _me_ that needs the cold shower. Though I'd need to shower in a block of ice to get it freaking cold enough. Stupid fucking vampire temperature. Do cold showers even _work_ on vampires?

Maybe I should find out.

I give a low, agonised groan as images of Alec in the shower flash front and centre in my mind. His perfect, white chest and shoulders and abs dripping wet...

_No! Down girl! Bad Nyx._

Intense flutters in my lower region prompt my perverted mind to continue. Venom pools on my tongue as I imagine taking his hard shaft in my fist, hearing him moan.

_You retarded child! Climb out of the gutter right the fuck NOW._

The image of him spilling his seed over my hand makes me writhe a little on the sofa. I'm far from oblivious to the fact that I'm becoming seriously damp.

_That's it. I hearby quit. You're on your own, princess._

Oh wonderful. My own subconscious has given up on me. I need some serious therapy.

I shake my head vigerously, and the band in my hair comes loose. Vast blackness cascades annoyingly around my face and shoulders. Fuck. Was my hair always so _thick_?

I hop up from the sofa. I wonder is Felix will spar with me? He's always willing to beat me up. And I need some major distractions right now. Like, natural disaster distractions. A tornado would be very welcome right now. Actually, it _looks_ like a tornado hit here. I tend to trash whatever room I'm in whenever I get pissed, and Alec doesn't feel like cleaning up after me.

I find it funny how he thinks I'm gonna give in and tidy it myself.

All of a sudden, the most tragic thought of all fucking time crash-lands and makes me need to sit. I drop to the floor and squat cross-legged, eyes wide.

_What if I wasn't good at it?_

Shit. What if I'm no good at sex? Is that the real reason that Alec won't touch me? Was the whole Caius thing just an excuse? Panic surges through my limbs just as the door clicks open.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Alec frowns, walking towards me.

I jump up, feeling that my face should be red, but it isn't, and it's reassuring to know that it never will be.

"Y'know, not everyone has had a million years worth of practice!" I explode, babbling.

Alec looks completely fricking flabbergasted. "_What_?"

"Never mind!" I yell, racing out the door and leaving Alec looking like the image of confusion.

**vVv**

"Why _can't_ I go on patrol?" I whine, grabbing Caius's sleeve and dragging out of it, attempting to annoy him into submission. His eyes narrow and his voice becomes a growl.

"Because you are rash and imperinent and cannot resist your instincts," he snaps, trying to wrench the cuff of his cloak out of my fist.

"I can _so_!" I exclaim, a tad too enthusiastically. His sleeve tears at the elbow and I'm left holding a long trail of black fabric. I press my lips together guiltily as Caius's eyes bug out of his head in anger. Felix, who's standing across the hall on Guard duty, drops his head and tries to supress helpless laughter, his huge shoulders shaking.

Edging out of Caius's way a little, I press his detatched sleeve into his hand. "My bad."

Aro places a hand on Caius's shoulder just as his exsasperated growl is forced through his teeth. "Now Caius, she didn't mean it. She's only weeks old, after all."

It's pretty easy not to be insulted by this, seeing as Aro's saving me from having my head on a spike.

"That's right," I say to Caius, a wide, evil smile spreading across my face. "I didn't _mean_ to..._Bunny_."

Caius's scowl becomes all the deeper, and Aro hides a small smile. Caius turns on his heel and stomps furiously back to his throne, ignoring the confused glances. I rock on my heels, grinning still. Aro shakes his head.

"Nonetheless," Aro says, stepping out of my reachnig distance. "It isn't a good idea for you to be loose in the city. At least not without supervision."

"Then have me supervised!" I wager. "Man, I just need to get _out_. I'm feeling all claustrophobic all up in here."

Aro ponders. "Very well," he allows eventually. A great big smile breaks out across my face and I clench my fists in victory.

"_Yes_!" I hiss, and Felix chuckles.

"Alec?" Aro calls. "You can take her out."

Oh _shit_.

**vVv**

"I'm not talking to you," I announce as Alec throws me a spare cloak. I havn't got my own, so I mostly just borrow Felix's, coz it's like really huge and it's like being wrapped up in a giant duvet. Real cosy shit.

"Yeah. _Why_, again?" Alec asks, sounding baffled and weary at the same time.

"Man, do I have to explain _every_ little fucking thing I do? Is that what you freaking want?"

Alec blinks. "Yes, please."

I stick my chin in the air (maybe I'm imitating Jane, just a _little_ bit). "No! And as of now, you and I-" I gesture between the two of us. "-Are not speaking."

Alec shrugs, deciding to humor me. "Alright."

"Shh!"

"Bu-"

"SHH!"

"I jus-"

"SHUSH!" I yell, coming dangerously close to doing something lame and stamping my foot.

Alec smiles and says nothing. Clever boy.

**vVv**

Boredom boredom boredom. More boredom.

Fucking hell, why did patrolling seem so much more entertaining when I wasn't allowed to do it?

I balance my way along the drainpipe of one house while Alec leaps from roof to roof, on the lookout for danger. Aro insisted that even though I don't have a uniform (_yet_), he wants me to wear something respectable. So Chelsea got me kitted up in a flowing black skirt that sweeps off the ground, a black tank top and a long black, leather trench coat that's almost as long as my unweildy skirt.

I'm trying to distract myself, counting stars and kicking snow off the roofs and scrawling my name in the snow on top of people's cars (evidently, fatally denting the cars in the process). What am I trying to distract myself from? The hot, wet sound of hundreds of heartbeats coming at me from every freakin direction possible. I think I'm doin' pretty well, actually. In the whole three hours we've been out here, I've only tried to slip through windows twice (and learned against this, as Alec has had to restrain me and having his body up _that_ close and personal against mine makes my hands ache to grab him in certain places that just should not be grabbed...in public).

I'm almost hoping for some Romanian soldiers to come along and give us some hassle, as they tend to do whenever Alec and I are out together. Seriously, any time now! I'm bored and hormonal and those things do _not_ go well together.

Alec grits his teeth upon my seventeenth sigh. "I'm sorry, but, are you _trying_ to frustrate me enough hoping that I'll throw myself into a pit of flames?"

_Yes_.

I lift my nose to the air and say nothing.

Alec growls and suddenly, in one death-defying spring from one roof to another, lands nimbly right in front of me, invading my personal space. A surprised hiss fizzles on my lips.

"Alright, _enough_ already!" Alec spits, his voice low so that no human could possibly hear, tucked away all warm and cosy and yummy as they are... "I want to know what the fuck is _up_ with you. Right now!"

I repeat my night-long mantra inside my head. _Say nothing say nothing say nothing..._

I avoid his eyes, focusing instead on his mouth. His perfectly smooth, dusty rose-coloured lips pulled back over his even, wolfishly bared teeth...

Alec grabs my arms and gives me a violent shake. My knee jerks up instinctively and he isn't quite fast enough to avoid a fierce kick to the groin.

Alec gives a strangled gasp of pain and doubles over, eyes bulging from his head.

"Son of a _bitch_," he gasps, sounding strained.

Oops. I must have a powerful knee.

I hover over him as he crouches over, seemingly agonised. Is it bad that I find this very, very funny?

His groan of pain as he tries to straighten up says yes, it _is_ bad. But still, rather freaking hilarious. I have to press my lips together to hold back a snicker. Man, if only I could get a picture of _this_!

After a low grunt, Alec manages to right himself. He stands up only to come face to face with my beaming smile.

"Alright, that's it," Alec says, his tone so vicious and cold that I flinch, just a little bit. My smile droops. He holds his grip on my arm and tips me towards the edge. Letting go of me at the last second, he drops down, catches himself on the drainpipe and swings himelf in through the boarded up window. I hear wood cracking and clattering on floorboards.

"Come in here. Right now," he barks. As I swallow back venom and swing inside after him, a sudden hazy recollection resurfaces. It's just a voice, his voice, vicious and firm and demanding, back when I belonged to him.

The building is abandoned, all dank and dark and dusty. But I can still see him clearly; his glinting eyes, his set mouth, his clenched jaw. He's very pissed.

"What the _fuck_ are you _thinking_?" He snarls, his hands curled into angry fists.

"Uh...what?" I reply quickly, deciding that it's _probably_ best not to piss him off any more just this minute. Maybe later.

"_You know what_," he hisses, grabbing my face roughly in his hands, forcing me to look him right in the eyes. I drop my own eyes faster than anything, focusing on his cheek instead. He has a nice cheek. Real smooth and slappable. With an exsasperated growl, he tightens his grasp on me.

"I'm pretty sure that I don't."

"Oh yes you do," he growls again, but he seems to have lost the venom. There's an undercurrent to his threatening exterior, and it seems..._sad_. "You won't even look me in the face."

There's a perfectly logical explanation for that: Every time that I do manage a glance, he looks so incredibly fuckable that my entire insides turn to jell-o and I have a real freakin hard time standing upright. Or indeed, keeping myself physically detatched from around him.

"Maybe I just don't like your face," I snap, jerking out of his grasp. He snarls furiously and yanks me back, my body pressing against his in ways that makes my belly tremble. I keep my glare steady, willing him with all the power of my mind for him not to notice just how physically his painfully close proximity is effecting me.

That's when realisation gives me a well-deserved whack over the head.

When I pierce his mind with mine, I'm able to shove his arms down by his sides and leap across the room before the connection slips and cuts off.

I've never been able to hold on to Alec for very long.

He gasps loudly and sways, his eyes closed tightly as he holds his head in his hands. "I hate when you do that," he groans.

I have to bite down _hard_ on my lip to stop a pathetic whimper from breaking through my teeth at the sound of his voice, low and husky and strained. Alec notices my distress.

"Are you thirsty?" He asks, his voice more concerned than angry now.

Sure. Thirsty. Let's go with thirsty.

I jerk my head in a fast nod. Alec steps closer.

A warm, musky scent sweeps through my nostrils, causing my eyes to dialiate and my mouth to water. It's his. Which figures, _just_ about as much as it sucks.

Alec seems only vaguely surprised when I suddenly find myself physically attached to him, inhaling deeply. Unable to control my reactions at this point, a drawn-out whimper escapes my parted lips. Alec sucks in a breath as I press my face against the crook of his neck, my hands grabbing fistfuls of his uniform jacket.

Slowly, almost cautiously, his hand snakes around to rest against the small of my back.

It's the first touch he's given me since I became a vampire that's even come _close_ to intimacy. I whimper again, torn between the two aching needs; to press back against his hand, and to keep my body pressed against his. Already, I can feel my centre throb wetly, and my breasts pulse almost painfully.

"Phoenix," Alec croaks, swallowing deeply. He begins to move away. "What are you doing?"

"Don't," I plead, moulding my body against his again. Despite what a through-and-through pathetic loser-like being I feel like right now, there's no way he's moving away from me.

No fucking way.

I inhale again, and despite his protests, his arm moves the whole way around my waist to hold me against him.

I feel strange, excited tingles flush through my chest and belly when I feel him twitch inside his jeans. His hands move to hold the dip of curves at my waist. He gives a soft, aroused gasp when I rub myself against him, trying to soothe the gnawing, pulsing, _aching_ need. For a moment, just a moment, his lips press against mine, searching for the same release I crave. But then he blinks, his soft, vast lashes brushing my brow rapidly.

"Oh God," he whispers. "God...no- not...wait, Phoenix-" He manages to untangle himself from me and take three ungraceful steps back. "Don't."

I feel something else flush through me. Something that I havn't felt in what seems like a lifetime. Rejection. Humiliation. _Pain_.

In the blink of an eye, I whirl around on my heel and rocket out the door of the old room, feeling my throat dry with something other than thirst. I bolt down a flight of stairs, my eyes glassy and glazed with tears that will never fall.

"Nyx?" Alec is following me down the stairway, his footsteps light and rapid. "Phoenix!"

Down three flights, I make one last dash for the front door of the abandoned house, hoping to run home and hide under Demetri's cloak or some shit. Suddenly a strong arm locks around my waist and hauls me backwards, lifting me right off the floor in the process. I stumble a little when Alec drops me down, stepping between me and the door.

I expect him to be angry again, and when his hand reaches out I growl deeply, baring my teeth.

"Shh, shh, easy," Alec says softly, his hand coming to rest on the fabric of my shirt sleeve. I feel no weight as his hand isn't even touching my actual arm. "It's okay. It's okay."

It's not. He won't even _touch _me. With a glower of disgust, I slap his hand away. He glances at his own hand for a moment before taking an unsure step closer.

I hiss. "You are one hypocritical fucker, you know that?"

Alec blinks. I can see him take several deep breaths, trying to keep a level head and keep his temper enreigned. "And why would that be?"

My still-glassy eyes narrow. "You know, if you didn't want me like this-" I gesture to my new, immortal body. "-You could have just _said so_."

Alec looks completely taken aback. "_What_?"

"What is it you miss, huh? Do you miss the smell? The softness? The adrenaline from trying not to kill me? Or is it the bruising? Yeah, I'll bet that's it. You miss seeing your marks on my skin, knowing that you have me under your complete control. Well _fucking newsflash_! That was all gonna end eventually. I fucking _knew_ that I was just a part of your sick...perverted..."

Alec is shaking, his head bowed. His hair flops forward softly to veil his expression from me. I blink rapidly, edging a little closer and leaning low to try and catch a glimpse of his expression. A sudden burst of laughter makes me leap backwards, shocked.

Alec lifts his head, a wide, incredulous smile on his face. He's laughing almost uncontrollably, his shoulders shaking. His eyes close and he shakes his head, rubbing his jaw with his hand, laughing the whole time.

"...Games," I finish, gritting my teeth. Alec doesn't stop laughing.

"_Stop laughing at me!"_

He bites down on his lip, trying to contain himself for the sake of my newborn rage. "I'm sorry," he gasps. "It's just..." He strolls forward, smiling still. This time I don't move when he places both hands on my upper arms – properly this time – and sighs. "You are _so_ naive."

"Naive?" I hiss, my fists clenching.

"Completely, utterly," Alec confirms. "How, _how_ did your incredible mind come up with the ridiculous theory that I don't _want_ you?"

I pause, evaluating his words. They don't make sense.

"Phoenix!" Alec laughs. "You've seen your new self. _This_-" He mimiks my earlier gesture, raking his eyes up and down my new body as his hands glide soothingly up and down my arms. "Can barely _compare_ to your former self."

I blink as a moment of silence passes. "I don't know whether to be insulted or not..." I mutter.

Alec's smile turns soft and he moves closer. "Everything about you has become amplified. Your face, your personality, your body..." It isn't hard to pick up on the craving in his voice when he says _your body_. His gaze becomes hungry. My breathing stops.

"Then why?" I demand, unable to form a coherent thought that doesn't involve ripping his clothes off.

He shrugs, looking abashed. "Caius ordered it so, and I'm already treading on thin ice with him. He's irritated that I didn't take better care of you, and that I allowed Vladimir to change you."

I stare at him. "You were in a cage."

He snorts. "I am aware. It wasn't pleasent."

Before I can reply, he uses one hand to cup my jaw and tip my head upwards so he can press his lips against mine.

The kiss quickly becomes heated, and our tongues meet hungrily. In a rough, sudden movement, Alec shoves me against the wall, making the chipped plaster crumble around us and keeping my body pinned with his. One of my hands is entangled in his silky hair, fingers tugging. The other is hooked into the belt loops of his jeans, holding his hips against mine.

When he breaks the kiss to lean down, biting, sucking, licking my exposed throat, I gasp. "What abou your ord-"

He growls, lifting his head to gaze intensely at my face, his eyes blazing with lust. "Fuck my orders."

Thrills of pleasure sizzle through my nerves, making me shiver. He kisses me again, showing no restraint or composure whatsoever. One of his hands moves around my body to slip my coat off my shoulders.

I tremble when the meaning behind this action hits home. This is real. This is happening.

I moan into his mouth, and because of his close proximity, I can feel as his cock becomes fully erect inside his jeans. I don't have much time to dwell on the excited, arounsed feelings that come from feeling his hardness prominantly pressed against my navel, because his free hand ventures upwards to cup my breast roughly.

"_Fuck_," I gasp, breaking the kiss again.

"Like that?" Alec purrs raggedly, kneading my breast in his hand, rolling his thumb around my stiff nipple through my thin top and bra.

"_Yes_," I moan, embarrassed by the way my head rolls back and forth uncontrollably. I wish – _I wish_ – that I had any semblance of control over my reactions.

Alec, however, seems to like it. He likes it even more when I suck his earlobe into my mouth, using my teeth and tongue to flick and tease him. My grip on his hair tightens to the point of pain, but Alec doesn't complain. Maybe he's distracted by the way he's grinding himself into my hip.

Suddenly, using both hands, he grips the low-cut border of my tank top and yanks it down, snapping the delicate straps.

I'm embarrassed again, for two reasons:

One, I can feel my nipples twitch perkily under the feiry intense stare from his glowing eyes.

Two, My bra might as well not be there.

See, the Volturi aren't big shoppers unless there's an occasion. Anything they need is bought online. And since I can't even _look_ at a freaking keypad without one or more of the letters sproinging off, I havn't been too successful in that area. And so, I've kind of been lacking in the underwear department. Corin, only being half a cup size bigger than me, offered to lend me some of her bras (I really don't know why...) which I graciously accepted. Graciously. Now anyone with half a fucking brain could know that Corin isn't exactly subtle in her promiscuity. So the bra's I received aren't so much underwear as they are lingerie.

Why didn't I give them back to her, you ask? Well, not only was I horny and willing to take whatever the world had on offer, but I thought they were pretty. Sue me.

So the one I chose to wear today has very slender straps, a front clasp in the shape of a silver heart, and cups made entirely out of lace. The lace is designed like ivy, and the only things protecting my decency are some strategically places embroidered leaves.

Alec's eyes dialate ravenously, and in a quick, striking movement, he leans down to suckle on my breast through the lace.

I moan deeply, using my strength to hold his head to my breast. I revel in just how incredible it feels to have his tongue against my covered nipple, gliding smoothly and wetly to make me whimper.

I decide to return the favour. My fingers move quickly and nimbly, snapping his belt open so quickly that he doesn't have time to react. With that, I shove my hand determinedly into his pants.

He cries out loudly against my breast when I locate his erection, taking it firmly in my hand. Suddenly, my new strength and speed become his best friend. He moans and whimpers as I begin to jack him off, enjoying the feeling of the impossibly smooth skin sliding inside my fist.

"Fuck yes," he gasps, lifting his head. "Oh _fuck yes_!"

As I feel precum pool against my fingers, I realise that my little fantasy of making him come using my hand might well come true. This makes me gasp and tighten my grip, and he gives a choked groan of pleasure.

Unbuttoning his jeans, I pull his erection free, giving myself room to fully stroke him. With my new vampire thinking abilities, it's simple to calculate his full length. I can't help but feel smug. Not just because of my ability to do math (_FINALLY!_) but also the fact of his easy seven and a half inches. My hand moves at remarkable speed, and it's his turn for his head to thrash, his turn to bite down on his lip to hold back the moans, his turn to be agonised.

Smirking, I decide to torture him further.

I release his cock and move my hand downwards, beginning to roll his balls in my hand. I bite my own lip, enjoying the hot and heavy weight of them in my palm. Alec's eyes roll back in his head when I squeeze them mercilessly.

"Fuck," he gasps, mouth open, chest heaving with heavy inhilations. I move my hand back to his pulsing dick, rubbing him again.

"That's it Phoenix, that's it," he growls, his hips thrusting into my hand. "Fuck. _Fuck_. I love your hands on me."

This is my cue to stop. He gasps when I remove my hand, only swiping my thumb over his oozing head before I stop touching him altogether. He takes a sharp breath when I place my thumb in my mouth.

My eyes slide shut, and venom pools hungrily when the small, wet, white beads touch off my tongue. I sigh, noting how shivers wrack my spine as the salty taste of him tingles on my tongue.

When my eyes snap open and I let my thumb slip wetly from my mouth, Alec's own eyes are wide and dark. I'm not that surprised when he pins me tightly against the wall once more. "Shit, Nyx, I _need_ you. I need to be inside..."

I kiss him deeply, feeling his hands slip beneath my thighs to lift me up, holding me high against the wall. I lift my long skirts for him, and he moves closer. He leans his face downwards, and in the same moment that he unclips my bra with his teeth and I shrug it off my shoulders, he cuts a long, wide gash in my panties with his fingernail. I gasp sharply when his fingertips glide against my wet slit, up and down several times until I moan his name. With a smug smile, very accurately and deliberately, he lets the head of his cock rub against my clit. We both cry out, and he does it again.

The most beyond-belief sensations fizzle heavily through my pelvis. I start grinding against his tip, building a rythem. It feels like I have no control of the words spilling from my lips; "_Alec_! Oh fuck. God. I need...I need you inside!"

Alec growls and shifts. "Fuck," he grunts, lining himself up, still supporting my weight. "Damn, Nyx, you're so _wet_."

I whimper as I feel the head slide into me, parting my walls. With an anguished moan, Alec lets go of me and lets me slide slowly down his shaft.

Abruptly, I realise what I was missing out on as a human. I really _can_ feel absolutly everything. Every curve and bulge and dip of his body pressed to mine, every hair, every breath he takes, the roundness of his balls pressed heavily against my skin, every pulse and throb of his erected cock buried deep inside me. It's so overwhelming that I have to struggle to keep myself in check.

It takes me a moment to realise that my eyes are shut. When they flicker open, Alec is gazing at my face, measuring my reactions.

With a reassuringly steady hand, I reach out and touch my fingers to the soft skin of his face. His own eyes half-close and a purr breaks through his perfect lips.

"Please," I whisper.

Alec moves his head a little so he can kiss my fingertips.

Without word or warning, he begins to thrust within me. My eyes water in unsheddable tears of pleasure, and I cry out.

**vVv**

Alec and I lie in a naked, purring pile on the basement floor. The only thing covering our bodies is his cloak, spread as wide as a sheet. My head lies against his bare chest, and his hand drifts up and down my waist lazily. I don't have to see his face to know that his expression is radiating smugness.

I sigh contently, absently wondering how the fuck we're gonna find the torn remainders of our clothes amongst the wreckage.

"Satisfied?" Alec's voice breaks through the delicious silence. Yep, defenitely smug.

I lift myself up a little to look at his face, smiling satedly. "Are you?"

Smiling, he gives me a soft, lingering kiss. "You have _no_ idea."

Something registers with me. "We broke the building."

Alec's eyes don't leave my face to survey the scene around us. "We did."

Alec had fucked me hard and fast against the ancient wall, and of course, the wall couldn't take it. It buckled and smashed into fragments and we tumbled into the next room. Unfortunately that wall had been supporting a very precarious ceiling, which had instantly crumbled as soon as the wall did. I had flipped us over so that I could ride him as one side of the building collapsed, and my strength had caused the floor beneath us to give. We fell into the basement just as the ceiling above us followed suit. However, thanks to some fortunate foundation, the basement had become a safe cavern as the whole building fell to bits above it.

"We won't have much time before the human authorites arrive," I sigh.

Grimacing, Alec sits up. "Perhaps we should find our clothes." Unfortunately, he begins kissing my neck, which severely delays our clothes-hunting expedition. Which might have been pointless anyway. Through the noise of building collapsure, I had heard the sharp sound of fabric tearing under our hands.

But as we hear a siren in the distance, Alec gently pushes me off him so he can stand up.

"Come on," he says. "Let's see who can find the most clothes."

Fortunately for him, competition is a typical newborn trait, and before he can blink I've bounced up and started burrowing through the rubble.

**vVv**

We are in a _lot_ of trouble when we get home. The fallen building is instantly pinned on us, which I do not find fair.

I mean, who the hell _cares_ who's covered in dust and rubble and dirt and who isn't?

And really, who gives a rats ass who's clothes are torn beyond repair? It isn't appreciate it when I demonstrate my point by tearing Felix's vast cloak in half.

"Oh thanks a lot," Felix grumbles.

Aro ponders, tapping the side of his face in thought. "Phoenix," he says. "You need a mentor."

"No I don't."

"I'll do it," Alec offers, trying to get out of the 'talking to' that Chelsea's giving him.

Caius scoffs. "Absolutely not."

"I do _not_ need a mentor."

"I can do it," Chelsea says smoothly.

Aro smiles. "Thank you for the offer, Chelsea dear, but your hands are _more_ than full." Alec scowls.

"I. Don't. NEED. A. Mentor."

"Oh! Let _me_ do it!" Corin clamours, waving her hand in the air like a smart-ass student in class.

"Phoenix has too many bad influences already," Marcus inputs.

"_Idon'tneedamentor_!"

Aro smiles suddenly, wide and mischevious.

Uh oh.

"Demetri?" He says. "I'm appointing you as Phoenix's mentor. It's your job to take care of her from now forth."

The befuzzled Tracker and I share the most horrified glance known to man, and the room is totally silent.

Ooooooohhhhhhhh fuck.

**I'm thinking of doing a oneshot of Alec, Corin and Renata's threesome. But it depends on if anybody will read/review it.**


	23. Innocence

**I'd say sorry for the serious lack of update, but I'm really not in the fucking mood. My brother's kind of in intensive care at the moment, thanks to his retarded friend who decided that drag racing while high would be a FAN FUCKING TASTIC idea. But that fucker's in a coma, so I really couldn't care shit about him right now. But I've been with my brother and the rest of my family and even had to quit my job so I could look after my nephew.**

**Buuuuut, I needed to take my mind off things so here I am, grinding out a new chapter.**

**Also, I'm starting to get sick of this story coz I think I made a fucktastic mistake turning Phoenix into a vamp so soon. I miss my retarded little human.**

**Apologies in advance for this shit chapter.**

_Child don't follow me home,_

_You're just too perfect,_

_For my hands to hold,_

_I just want to take__,_

_Your innocence._

"Nyx, just accept it," Alec sounds exhausted, and we've only been arguing for ten minutes. I think he's losing his touch.

"No!"

"Nyx..."

"Look. I got over the no sleeping. Hell, I got over the whole gay sparkling shit. But I cannot – _can not_ – get over this! This is fucking terrible!"

"It isn't the end of the world," Demetri grimaces, leaning against the kitchen countertop. He looks a little disgusted.

"Might as well be," I grumble. "This is so unfair! No fucking body thought to inform me that I can't _eat_ anymore either?"

Needless to say, I'm having a hard time accepting that human food is a no-no. The thought of all those Lucky Charms...doughnuts...sandwiches...ridiculously unhealthy McDonalds fries going to waste makes me extremely sad.

I'll admit, when I sat down determinedly to a bowlful of cereal (despite Alec and Demetri's protests), in my own gut it didn't feel quite right. Now, as the bowl is staring me in the face, all those colourdy puffs swimming in milk, I feel a little nausiated. Milk smells beyond revolting. Well, not that it was ever that nice to begin with. The small, multicoloured things smell of nothing but sugar. I bite down on my lip.

"Look, isn't the immortality, and the beauty, enough for you? You don't need to eat anymore," Demetri says, trying to reason with me as I seize my spoon.

I smile showing my teeth. "Aaawh!" I turn to Alec. "Demetri thinks I'm pretty."

"Don't flatter yourself," Demetri grumbles under his breath, folding his arms tightly.

I hold my breath to block out the smell of it, and with a little hesitation, shove the spoon between my lips.

There's a split second when I think _Huh, this isn't so bad..._ But then the taste hits, and my eyes bug open in horror. I spit the whole disgusting mouthful back into the bowl, retching and yowling in disgust. Demetri and Alec splutter with unrestrained laughter. I scowl fiercely at the bowl.

"That was freaking gross," I frown, my voice becoming high and reedy with distress.

"Told you so," Alec chuckles. I turn my scowl on him.

After half a minute of trying to summon enough venom to my mouth to rid my tongue of the terrible flavours, I sigh.

"Maybe cake would taste better..." I muse.

Demetri, still laughing in a humorless sort of way, pushes himself away from the counter and heads for the stairs. "And I'm out of here, before that trainwreck can ensue."

"You're her mentor," Alec protests. "You're meant to discourage all stupidity."

"I'm right here, you know!" I growl.

"With _her_? Yeah, sure. _That's_ possible. Once I buy one of those kiddyleashes, I'll be sure to keep her out of trouble."

Alec sighs as Demetri bounds up the stairs, probably going in search of Heidi for a good old-fashioned humpfest. "He's not really warming up to this new job of his."

"Let's buy cake," I suggest, uneffected by Demetri's dismissal. The idea of soft vanilla sponge cake with jam and icing is so freaking mouth watering that I want to cry. And at the same time, so stomach-churning that I want to upchuck.

Sigh. It's a hard life.

"Let's really not," Alec replies, snubbing me. He laughs at my pout, grabbing my hand and whisking me out of my chair, all merriment and glee. He's been in a constant good mood recently and to be frank, it's kiiiiiiinda weird. The Alec I remember from my mortal life is grumpy and ill-humoured. This one seems almost like a stranger in comparison.

I sigh. "So, eating food is really a thing of the past?"

"I'm afraid so," Alec says, his smile still in place. "Well...eating human _food_ is a thing of the past. You can eat all the human _beings_ that you wish."

"I'll take you up on that," I vow. He flashes a toothy smile and tugs my hand so I vault forward, my body colliding with his. His arms clench around me and I find myself pinned all up close and personal against his body.

"I can think of far better things for you to do with your time..."

He drags the softness of his lips against mine and in a dizzyingly quick movement, touches the tip of his tongue against my upper lip. I drag in a feeble breath, feeling my stomach flip excitedly. He smirks and tows me towards the door again, my hand still clasped in his larger one.

In the same moment, my inhaled breath registers with my mind. Smells assault my senses. One in particular stands out amongst the rest. Musky, but very sweet. It's weeks, months old, but I can tell that it's human. For a moment I think it's _my_ scent from a few weeks previous, but then I realise that it's male.

Pushing myself away from Alec to rid myself of his strong scent, inhale again, dragging more of the smell in. Alec watches me, his smile gone, his form tense.

"What the hell _is_ that?" I ask. Fuck damn, it's so _irritating_! It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't seem to recall the name.

"What's what?" Alec asks, his eyes big and beseechingly innocent.

And I don't trust them.

"You fucking _know_ what!" I snap, growing more and more frustrated. Following my nose, I hunt down the strongest source of the smell and come to the chair at the head of the table. Scrunching my nose up in confusion, I lean down to inhale deeper, placing my hand lightly on the backrest.

It hits me like a truck.

"God," I whisper, my voice so low and tense that I can't even hear it. Every muscle in my body clenches tightly.

_There's a boy sitting at the table, a bowl of cereal in front of him. His hair and skin are oddly contrasting, dark tan versus honey blonde, but they make him look devestatingly pretty. His eyes are big and chocolate brown. His lips are the colour of roses._

_He's human._

I feel as if someone's squeezing my chest, tighter and tighter until I can't breathe. I'm frozen, locked in the same rigid position until Alec comes up behind me and touches my back.

_"I'm Benjamin," he smiles, standing up. He's about as tall as Alec, but not as well built. He runs his thumb under a leather strap around his neck. The strap is studded, and has a small, pearly white padlock on it._

I gasp at the sudden contact, and my hand clenches. The chair completely buckles beneath my fingers, splintering effortlessly and flaking to the ground with several hollow clatters, splinters showering after.

_With a glint in his eyes, Alec lapses into silence._

_Benjamin doesn't dare move, even blink. But I see the tears of fright forming in his eyes. I have to fight the urge to run to him._

_I see it then. It's like a clear fog, creeping and oozing it's way around the floor. It surrounds Benjamin, then begins ascending up his legs. Within a few seconds, it's encased his body._

_Benjamin sags, and Alec has to catch him by the arms. Benjamin's head lolls to one side, and his legs give way._

_I see what's happening, but my brain refuses to process it._

_With a feral snarl, Alec's head lunges forward, and his teeth sink into Benjamin's neck._

I leap away from Alec's touch, a hiss breaking through my teeth. My eyes are clouded over with long-forgotten human memories (which are unclear and hazy, undefined in this sharp new mind) but I still see Alec's shocked expression, and the quickly masked hurt.

"Phoenix," he says, his voice quiet and careful. "What is it? What's the matter?"

I shake my head fiercely, and Alec moves towards me. I jump violently when his hands come to rest on my arms.

_"On your knees!" He roars._

_He pulls me up and forces me to my knees. I choke out desperate pleas that fall on deaf ears._

_No-_

_No, please-_

_Don't make me-_

_Anything but-_

_Alec!_

_He doesn't hear me. He doesn't listen. His fingers twist themselves painfully into my hair. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying hard not to cry._

_He pulls my head back, forcing my mouth open. I hear the zipper of his jeans opening._

My eyes widen in horror, in terror, at this painfully fresh memory. I tremble beneath Alec's hands, and his face is full of dread. He knows he's caught out. He realises who I'm remembering.

"Nyx," he whispers, my name catching in his throat.

He steps closer.

In one fear-charged move, I lift my leg and strike him in the chest with my foot, using every ounce of strength I have in me. He soars backwards, crashing with immesurable force into the table. It, too, splinters weakly until all thats left are broken shards.

I bolt up the stairs and away from Alec before he can get up, sobs breaking on my lips.

vVv

I sprint through the long, ornately designed halls, not entirely knowing where I'm heading to. My vision is corrupted by traitor tears that will never fall, an'd I'm not paying the slightest bit of attention to my surroundings. I just need to _run, get away_.

So I suppose it's my fault when I bodyslam straight into another vampire.

But why – _why oh fucking why_ – do the fates have to be _so_ ridiculously cruel as to make that vampire, _Jane_?

It's as if some great Deity up there is sitting swinging his legs and twirling his hair idly, poking and prodding at me for some freaking amusement. I fucking hate other-worldly interference.

Fucking sucks.

Jane shoves me away, her face scrunched up as if I'm a particularily gross street urchin. Her mouth twists into a sneer, and I freeze. Jane's managed to catch me on my own quite a few times since I've become a vampire, and each time is more painful than the last.

"Ugh," she complains, dusting herself down as if I've left her covered in grime. "_Newborn_."

Before, I was referred to as _Human_. It seems that now, I'm _Newborn_. Jeez, what'll I be when I pass my year mark? I dearly hope she'll be a bit more inventive than _Vampire_.

I say nothing, deciding that keeping my mouth shut would be the best option right now. It isn't hard – I don't feel like saying much, besides some rampant swearing. Besides, it's my loud and permenantly open mouth that usually gets me in for shit with this chick. So instead I sniff rapturiously and stand my ground. I'm not quite so beaten down that I'm willing to run away with my tail between my freaking legs. And even if I did, she'd probably just chase me down.

I glare into her face, and she seems a little unnerved by the silent treatment. "Listen," she hisses. "My brother is unhappy with the way I've been dealing with your...arrogance. He thinks I'm being unfair and abusing my talent. It doesn't mean I won't use it, mind you. However, I'm willing to let this little meeting slide...this time. I'm going to go my way, and I trust you to do the same. Understood?"

_Jane tugs on a slim chain around her neck. I hadn't spotted it before. She wears it inside her clothes. She snaps the chain carelessly, holding the charm between her fingers – a small white key._

_She walks back to Benjamin and places a hand on his throat. He's deathly pale. Her hand slips down and takes the little white lock of his collar in her hands. The key fits it, and the lock snaps open. With careful hands, Jane removes Benjamin's collar and drops it uncaringly to the ground._

_"Wh-what?" I stammer, shocked. I go unnoticed._

_Jane turns away and walks back to where I'm standing. Alec moves forward, to stand behind Benjamin._

_"Ah, brother," Jane interrupts. "You promised."_

_Alec sighs. "You take the fun away, sister."_

_She shrugs. "I care little. A deal is a deal. I'm holding up my end. I trust you to do the same."_

Jane's brow furrows after several weighted moments pass. "What?" She demands, tensing. "Why are you _staring_ at me like that?"

_"I'm Jane's," Benjamin says._

_"Jane's?" I whisper, my eyes locked on his collar, fingering my own around my neck. Benjamin nods, watching my expression._

_"How...how long have you been here?" I asked, my voice taking on hysteria as I yank at the leather bond around my own neck. It feels a hundred times tighter, and it doesn't budge._

_"Seven months," Benjamin answers._

Benjamin.

Benjamin was _Jane's_.

He belonged to her, and she got bored with him. She _chose_ to let Alec kill him.

My vision is tainted by a furious red hue instead of tears, and my teeth clench, venom pooling on my tongue.

Jane might be fantastically gifted, but she's physically weak, and a suckish fighter. Before she can even move to a defensive position, my muscles have tensed and coiled and I spring, my body smashing into hers for a second time and I send us both sprawling on the ground. It seems efforless to pin her down, throwing my arm over her eyes to blind her and render her powerless.

And it's nothing but powerful instinct to thrust her head sideways and sink my teeth into her throat, feeling her skin break.

She screams so loud I'm surprised the whole fricking house doesn't shake. The sound rings painfully in my ears, and I growl against her neck, digging my teeth in deeper. Just as I'm about to twist sideways and wrench her head from her shoulders, I hear voices.

"_What the hell_! What on earth was that?"

"Good God, was that Jane?"

The sounds of pursuit reach my ears. I hiss furiously. I'm in deep shit.

Leaping up, I bolt away, not giving myself the chance to be caught red-handed. Jane gasps and wrenches up, and I hear the investigators reach her after I turn the corner.

"Gods, Jane! What _happened_?" Afton cries.

"Sh-she just _attacked_ me!"

"What? _Who_?"

"Who do you think?" Jane hisses furiously.

Deciding to hide until I was caught and – undoubtably – punished, I throw open the double doors leading to the vacant feeding hall and slip inside. As the doors slide shut behind me, I'm encased by darkness. Luckily, vampirism comes with excellent night vision.

I breathe deeply, shakily, my body trembling. I lean heavily against the doors, raking my hands through my hair. Despite how hard I'm clenching my teeth (trying to ignore the distinct taste of Jane – _ugh_. That ain't shit that I need right now), a mournful sob manages to slip through my lips.

I walk forward, wrapping my arms tightly around my body, tremours shimmering through me. I bite down hard on my lip to stop it shaking. Blinking hard, I gaze around the dark stone room. My human memories aren't so hazy that I don't recognise the room where Benjamin was killed.

I freeze in the middle of the hall, near to the drain. I can smell the acid where the human remains are disposed of. I feel completely sick wondering if that's where Benjamin ended up.

_Of course it is, idiot. They hardly stuffed him and kept him as a fucking trophy_!

Sinking to my knees, I double over, feeling the most horrible nausiating agony spread within my torso. Jane has nothing on this shit.

Oh God, How could I have forgotten Benjamin? About that whole horrible night, about what Alec did to me?

I physically cringe away from the memory, moving down to lie on the ground where Benjamin's body dropped, pale and cold. Like me. A small, heartbroken moan vibrates in my throat and I squeeze my eyes shut. It's almost scary knowing that I'll never cry. Not really.

It seems like hours pass as I force my mind to unlock every possible memory of Benjamin. The sound of his voice, that strange English-Italian accent. I know he had blonde hair and darkly tanned skin. Brown eyes. Or were they blue? _Ugh_! But for the absolute fucking life of me, I can't manage ot conjour up an image of his face.

I can, however, remember all the ridiculous shit we got up to together. I give a small snort when I remember how disasterously he sucked at video games. He was a good cook, though. Wasn't he? This triggers another memory – the downwards, near-anorexic spiral I went into after he died, and how spitefully mean Alec was about it until...

Hmm. When _did_ he stop being mean to me? I know _something_ happened, but not what it was.

Curling up tightly, I scoff. Lovely to know it took some big drama for Alec to stop being a dick. Did he finally feel bad for forcing himself on me?

I shudder. It sucks to fuck how the most prominent memories are the dreadful ones. This new mind has a lot more room to analyse and think things over. And now, the idea of having his hands on me, having him inside me, makes me feel a little sick.

I have to try extremely hard not to cry thinking of the _other_ ways he's touched me. In need and lust and softness and passion. He could be so sweet and gentle. But he could also turn and become angry and bitter and vicious.

My head begins to throb uncomfortably from the stress. Huh. I guess this is as close vampires get to headaches.

I cringe in terror when I hear one of the double doors be eased open. Soft footsteps clack against the stone floor. I wait for the confrontation, squeezing my eyes shut and holding my breath. I can't seem to unclench even though I havn't the foggiest of fucks who it is.

This mystery intrudor crouches beside me, silent and still. We both wait.

"Are you going to tell me what's the matter?" Demetri asks finally. I shake my head, keeping my face hidden from him, mostly out of embarrassment. Ever since I've been in Volterra (even though I can't seem to remember any life _other_ than Volterra) I seem to have done nothing but make an absolute fucking fool of myself. My throat dries further, and not just from thirst.

Demetri timidly pats my shoulderblade – whether to comfort me or just get my attention, I do not know – and with one loud burst of a sob, I vault up and throw my arms around him. I don't know which one of us is more horrified as I start bawling into his chest.

It's not just soft, restrained little sobs. I'm full-on weeping. I don't need to see Demetri's face to know that he's flustered as kinda shit isn't really within dear ol' Metri's dealing capabilities. Even so, I feel his arm come up to wrap around me uncertainly.

"There now," he murmurs awkwardly, which only makes me cry all the harder.

After what seems like a lifetime, I try to stop, snuffling and gasping pathetically against Demetri's shirt. I pull back from him, and, avoiding his face. I notice several small tears in the fabric, courtesy of my nails. I gulp, abashed.

"I ripped your shirt," I mumble. I expect him to be angry.

"It's okay," he replies. "It's an old one anyway."

"That's a lie," I sniff, wiping my face with my hand out of some long-forgotten habit. "You got it last week."

"Mmm," he replies. "Are you going to tell me what happened? You were fine when I left you."

"Probably not," I respond, pleased that my voice is uneffected by my crying fit. Demetri sighs.

"You should, you know. I'm your Mentor now."

I scowl. "You were gonna let me eat cake, man."

Demetri chuckles quietly, glad that I'm no longer a soggy mass of patheticness. "Well, how can you learn without trial and error?"

My scowl deepens. Damn.

"Besides, you ripped my shirt. I think you owe me an explanation of why my wardrobe had to suffer."

I stiffen in his arms. "You said it was old!"

"And you said I lied."

I slump again, ducking my head. Demetri waits.

"You know something weird?" I sigh after a few minutes of aggrivatingly silent silence.

"I know you," Demetri quips. I grumble. "Seriously though. What?"

I sigh again. "I started remembering things today, of being human. But I don't remember a thing outside of the Volturi."

"That's not surprising. It takes a long, long time for vampires to regain even the most prominent of memories once they've made the change."

"Yeah, but...I remember having another home. But it's just a fact. I can't envision it. And I remember having a grandmother. I know that I loved her, more than _anyone_. But that's _all_ I know. I don't remember her face or her voice or anything about her. I don't remember my parents, or if I even had any. I don't remember going to school or even coming to Italy. None of it."

"It'll come back to you. In time," Demetri promises. "What did you remember today?

I swallow deeply. "I remembered...just _being_ here. I remembered belonging to Alec." There's a beat of silence, and in that beat I think I can hold on to myself, but within a terrible instant the dam breaks and the floodgates open and it all comes rushing out in a frantic jumble on a high-pitched, hysterical thread.

"I remembered Benjamin and how we were together and he was human with me and he kept me out of trouble and fed me but then Jane got bored with him and Alec killed him and drank him and I was so upset and Alec got mad at me and he did that thing to me and I didn't do anything _wrong_!"

And I'm off sobbing again, my shoulders heaving as I cry into Demetri's ruined shirt. He's perfectly still for a moment. Then, somewhat awkwardly, he wraps both arms around me and just lets me cry.

"Come on," he urges me after another long while. "Let's get out of here. Heidi will be home with food soon, and I left little Sandrine with Felix. It probably wasn't the wisest decision I've ever made as she's probably running rings around him."

I sniff fiercely, thinking of the playful little vampire girl and her impish ways. "Probably."

Demetri rises fluidly, dragging me up with him. "You don't have to go back to Alec's room if you don't want. You can go up to mine for a while."

I stare at him, flabbergasted beyond words. Good Lord. I must really look like shit if Demetri's being _this_ nice to me! However, this is the perfect oppertunity for me to have a nosy 'round his private sanctuary without getting in (much) trouble. So needless to say, I let him lead me away without protesting.

vVv

Painful though it may be, I think I'm gonna have to skippedy skip out on dinner if I want to, like, continue existing. And despite my God-awful day, I like existing very much. However, Jane's not gonna be too impressed with the fact that I came extremely close to leaving her without a head, and I doubt Alec's gonna be too thrilled with me either. And recollecting his frightful temper, I don't exactly want to cross him. Especially after I chucked him into a table that's probably worth thousands. I doubt he could take that sting to his pride (or his wallet).

And to be honest, I'd much prefer the burn in my throat than a date with Caius's flamethrower. God knows that fucker's just looking for any excuse to get rid of me.

Luckily, I'm able to distract myself somewhat by shifting through Demetri's, ahem, _interesting_ magasine collection that somehow found their way out from the back of his closet. Somehow.

As I'm flicking scathingly through the painfully skinny bunny rabbits with buxom breasts and grossly unnatural blonde hair, there's a knock at the door. With wide eyes, I manage to toss the Playboys under Demetri's bed just as Afton opens the door a crack.

"Can I come in?"

I hesitate. "Sure," I reply uncertainly.

Out of all the vampires in the Volturi, Afton's probably the one I've had the least contact with. And, he's the one who found Jane after I, erm, chowed down on her neck. _And_ he's Chelsea's husband – Chelsea, who just so happens to be closer to Jane than just about anyone.

Before I can measure just how le fucked I am, Afton slips inside, a small, wry smile on his face. He's very handsome, though he't not the most remarkable vampire I've ever come across. He's well built and tall, with curly dark brown hair and cute dimples when he smiles. "Ah. Here you are."

"Yup," I reply, popping the 'p'. "What can I do ya for?"

"Dinner's here. Demetri's too busy chasing Sandrine to come up and get you," he says.

"Okay then," I reply, hopping up from where I'd been sitting cross legged on the floor. Suddenly I bite my lip, feeling abashed. "Er...is Jane okay?"

Afton laughs, and it's the first time I've heard the sound from him. It makes me smile.

"She'll be fine," he chuckles. "The slash to her pride was the worst wound you inflicted on her. It's been a while since someone's given _her_ a decent run."

"Oh yeah?" I reply, perking up. "Who was the last person to beat Jane in a fight then?"

Afton throws me a dimpled grin. "Her brother."

vVv

Afton leaves me alone for a while to get ready for dinner (i.e. prepare myself for the wrath of Jane, and possibly – probably – Alec...and more than likely Caius, if he knows). However, just as I open Demetri's bedroom door, sounds of yelling errupt from just down the hall.

"_What do you mean she's in your bedroom_?" Alec yells, enraged.

Uh. Shit.

Demetri hisses. "Will you _calm down_, for fuck sakes! She's in my bedroom because I brought her there."

"Why?" Alec snarls. Well, _there's_ the Alec I know and...uh, like, somewhat.

"Because she preferred it to yours," Demetri sneers.

Ouch. Burn.

It doesn't take much for Alec's temper to snap altogether, because there's a furious roar and the sound of angry brawling. Teeth snapping, skin breaking, fists landing. Biting, kicking, slamming, snarling.

I groan and rush out. Stupid, testosterone filled fools!

"Hey! _Hey_!" I yelp, preparing to dive into the scramble. I don't get the chance.

Felix appears and wrestles his way in, trying to come between the furious vampires.

"Hey, that's _enough_!" He growls, using his huge body to drive a living wedge between Alec and Demetri. Both their chests are heaving with unneccisary exursion. Alec snaps his teeth.

"_Easy_," Felix warns, his voice treading dangerously on a growl. He grabs Alec's wrist, trying (stupidly) to restrain him. A low, continuous growl comes through Alec's bared teeth.

"What's going on here?" Afton demands, running down the hall as soon as he realises that something's seriously up.

Alec snaps his hand away from Felix and turns on his heel, preparing to leave. However, just as he turns to run, he shoots me such a furiously cold glare that I'm rooted to the spot, feeling like the weak and terrified human that I used to be.

vVv

Neither twin appears at dinner. Chelsea's missing too, obviously busy trying to calm some angry teenage vampires. Demetri seems to have lost his appetite, draining one human and then leaving without saying a word. I eat as normal, draining as many humans as I can before they're all dead. In all honesty, I don't even _feel_ thirsty. I just can't seem to stop.

When my last human – a girl my age – runs dry, I toss her body to the ground in disgust. Santiago grins at me.

"Thirsty, Nyx?"

I shrug, trying to keep my expression neutral. "Not really."

Santiago frowns, discarding his own empty human. He throws an arm around my shoulder. "You doin' okay there, Nyxie?"

The old nickname makes my eyes prick. Before I can reply, Aro drifts over to us.

"Phoenix, my dear," he calls, before I can act on my plan to pretend I didn't see him and leap out a window or some shit.

Shit shit shit! He probably knows by now that I attacked Jane. Jane's like his baby! He's gonna tear me a fucking new one!

Santiago, sensing that I'm going to run, tightens his arm around me and mutters a quick apology in my ear. I hiss.

Aro doesn't give me a chance to speak before he seizes my hand in his.

_Shit. SHIT! I'm fucked. Oh no, I'm beyond fucked. I'm so COMPLETELY beyond fucked, that people with fricking guns to their heads are laughing at me..._

Aro gives one bittersweet chuckle before releasing my hand. I shove it behind my back as if to protect it, cringing under Aro's stare.

"Santiago, dear, you can leave now," Aro says, hinting heavily. "I need to speak to young Phoenix alone."

Awh no, no, no!

Santiago throws me a sympathetic look before leaving upon Aro's orders.

"What's this about, Aro?" Caius demands, skewering the two of us with that eye-twitchingly shrewd glare of his.

Aro waves his hand dismissively. "Never you mind, brother! Off you go now."

Caius huffs and puffs at being treated like a child, but follows Marcus away obediently. Aro drifts back to his throne. I follow meekly, wondering if I'd be able to get out of dodge of a flamethrower if I tried.

Christ Al-fucking-mighty. Was Aro this scary when I was human?

"Oh Phoenix," Aro sighs.

I swallow back a retort, deciding that it's best to keep my trap shut and my hands shoved deep in my pockets.

_Yeah, coz that worked SO well earlier, didn't it_? My mind sneers.

Oh shut up, shut up, shut up!

"What on earth am I to do with you child?" Aro grimaces. He huffs out a weary sigh. "I know that the recollection of certain human memories can be...stressful. But Phoenix, I _cannot_ tolerate you attacking my most valued Guard members!"

"I know," I sigh.

"Still," Aro hedges. "Perhaps it's good for dear Jane to learn that she isn't as invincible as she assumes...it just wouldn't do for her overzealous confidence to get her seriously hurt." A smile suddenly stretches Aro's face. "However, I would watch yourself, dear one. My Jane won't leave this to rest. I daresay Alec's kept her at bay somewhat. You haven't witnessed her full wrath yet."

Not her full wrath? Damn. It sure felt wrathful when it was burning through my mind like the venom all the fuck over again!

Aro smiles wider. "However, perhaps it would be interesting for Jane to have some competition! Nothing like it to secure a workforce."

"Compete against _Jane_?" I reply finally, screwing up my face in distaste. "I like living, thanks."

Aro laughs. "Hmm," he muses. "You know, I received a call today. Eleazar wanted to know how you were, and, indeed, if you were still alive."

"Alive and kicking," I mutter, racking my brains. Eleazar. The name sounds _very_ familliar. I remember the golden eyes, like the Cullens, and the fact that he was nice to me. But that's as far as it goes.

"Indeed," Aro nods. "He was planning on coming for another visit rather soon, which gave me an idea.

Uh oh. Aro getting an idea is just about as good as _me_ getting an idea. Nuclear-war good.

"The Volturi will be throwing a ball next month, inviting several Covens to visit and stay for a while," Aro announces happily. "It will be the perfect oppertunity for you to become aquainted with our kind, and for word of your little gift to spread. You need to become more _social_, dear. Having your life revolve around Volterra won't be good for you."

"I'm plenty social," I whine.

Aro scoffs.

Nuclear war indeed.


	24. Your Love Is My Heart Disease

**Well, life's pretty much getting back to normal now that my brother's home and grounded for life, so hopefully my updates should me more frequent and hopefully, more exciting.**

_Shoot my cupid, out of the sky,_

_Break off his wings, and gouge out his eyes,_

_And thank him for nothing,_

_Cause that's all that he gave to me..._

_Your love is my heart disease..._

I wander past the reception area, where one of the lower female guard members is sitting behind Gianna's desk, tap-tap-tapping a hole in the wood with one long red nail. She's chewing on the tip of a pencil with ridiculously sharp teeth, turning the damn thing to sawdust. Her red waves fall over her shoulders as her eyes skim down a page of references or some shit.

She's been here the last few weeks, and never fails to bore me. She's completely un-provoke-able. No amount of poking, file-liquidising (even vampires can find a use for kitchen blenders, if we try hard enough!) or general babbled nonsense seems to rattle her. She never tells me to piss off or go fuck myself or any of that shit like any _normal, _halfway _sane_ person would when confronted with my most irritating traits.

All I know about her is that her name is Brigette, she's only fifty nine vampire years old and has been trying to get into the Elete Guard since, like, before I was freaking _born_. Sadly for her, her gift is limited to something like super-organising skills or some other weird shit like that, and that's not in any way enough to earn her a place in the Elete. But Aro liked her determination or something, so she has a non-permenant place in the Lower for whenever anyone needs monkey work done. Meh, maybe she has super-patience or something like that. That sure would come in handy in a place like this!

"Is everything alright, Miss Phoenix?" Brigette asks when I sigh heavily.

Maybe it's super suck-up powers she's got. I have to fight an eye roll.

"Where's Gianna?" I demand, hopping up to sit on the desk, crossing my legs. I freaking _miss_ Gianna! She was so easy to piss off.

Brigette chuckles, subtly sliding some files into the cabinet out of my immediate reach. Wheeey for her! She's learning.

"Aro gave her a few months off. I think she's in California at the moment."

My blank face and rapidly blinking eyes prompt Brigette to continue. "She's human," the redhead shrugs, clicking a stapler fifty two times in the blink of an eye. "It wouldn't be..._prudent_, to have her around while you were still learning to control your thirst."

I scowl. Oh yeah. _That_.

"Hey, that's not my _fault_," I protest, feeling the need to defend myself. "I didn't _ask_ to be changed. I was perfectly freaking happy wandering around as a little meatsack, here."

Brigette smiles. "I know."

My mouth twists. "You know _what_?"

Brigette sure ain't the brightest bulb in the lamp factory. She doesn't understand my grimace deepening as she explains.

"It's all here – everything about your accidental creation – right here in your files."

"Gimme that!" I order, snatching the slim folder she holds in her hands and flipping through it impatiently. I flip a tad too vigerously and end up tearing a few pages under my fingers. My posture slumps in defeat and I flip the folder back to the unrattled vampire. I sigh again, raking my hands through my hair. I can't seem to find the energy to be pissed that she was nosying through my file.

Effort of that.

"Immortal life getting you down, short shit?"

A familliar voice perks me up as Felix strides into the reception area purpousfully, grinning in his usual Felix-esque way.

"You could say that," I reply glumly. Felix's smile becomes sympathetic.

"Hey Brigette, I need the folder on the newborns in Russia."

Brigette smiles in a trying-to-please way. "Yes, Sir."

Felix leans an elbow on the desktop, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a different kind of smile. "Hmm. _Sir_," he winks at the new secretary, who simpers pathetically. "I like that."

I make a sound of disgust in the back of my throat, swivelling around to plant a light kick to Felix's gut. I shove him successfully off the desktop while Brigette, still smiling, passes him the folder he wanted.

"Here you are..._Sir_," she says flirtatiously. He winks at her again before turning on his heel and leaving. I hop down and follow him. Now that I have a form of entertainment, I ain't letting go _aaaaany_ time soon.

"Felix, I'm _bored_. Entertain me!" I bump him with my shoulder, throwing him my most devestating look. He chuckles, immune to it now that I've overused it so much.

"Wish I could, little Nyx, but I'm actually heading to Russia right this minute. Rampant newborns – should be one hell of a time."

"I've never been to Russia," I hint heavily.

Felix bumps me back good-naturedly. "I don't think a tempermental little newborn is something Caius wants in the field right now."

"What? Why? I've been good!"

"Nyx, you broke through three walls yesterday."

"Well...that was an accident!"

"Alright, let me rephrase: Phoenix, you threw Santiago through three walls yesterday."

I stop walking, and Felix pauses with me. Even my new vampire mind is staggered trying to come up with a defense for _that_ little faux-pas. "Well...he forgave me! Cause...he like, loves me...and stuff..."

Felix splutters with laughter. "Right, right. Well, maybe Aro can find you something to do?"

I snort. "No fucking thanks. The last time I went begging to _him_ for something to do, he had me alphabetize the entire Library. Then when I had _that_ done, he had me re-organise the whole fucking thing chronologically!"

It's Felix's turn to snort. "That sounds about right."

"If Aro says I can go, can I go? I'd _love_ to tear apart some newborns!"

"I doubt you'd like this trip, Nyx. They're usually quite boring."

I sigh. Yeah. Travelling across the world to a foreign country, battling and burning a hoard of vicious vampires, coming home victorious – pssh, yeah, it all sounds dull as fucking dishwater.

"Well, who's going?" I ask, jogging after Felix as he starts off walking again.

"As far as I know...Jane, Afton, myself, and Alec."

Alec's going? "Hmm. Maybe I _won't_ tag along then..."

Felix squeezes my shoulder sympathetically. "Things still not great between you two, huh?"

I shrug, brushing off the uncomfortable tightening in my belly. "Could say that."

Could say a lot more than that, too. To say that we're not on speaking terms would be an understatement. Apparantly Demetri said more that I'd have liked to Alec in the hall, which sent Alec into furious near-hysterics. It didn't help either when Demetri ever so tactfully told him that I was resting in _his_ room. Anybody with half a fricking brain knows how posessive and jealous Alec can be. And what Alec got from Demetri was that I'd been bawling about him having done something dreadful to me as a human – which was true, I guess – and that I was far too upset to see him or talk to him or even be in the same room as him.

It _really_ didn't help when I'd come flying down the hall to stop him and Demetri beating the ever-holy shit out of one another. After dinner, Corin – knowing Alec's fearful temper as well as she does – cheerfully invited me to spend a couple of hours in her room with her and Renata doing all sorts of girly shit in pyjamas that we didn't need. So I'd said yes and toddled on back to Alec's chambers to grab my shit and get ready for a night of probable sulking. And _who_ decides to burst in? One guess. Nope, you're wrong. Alec himself, breathing fire and demanding to know where the fuck I thought I was going.

Big fight. Things broken. Hair pulled. No make-up sex.

'Tis a sad tale if I ever heard one.

I guess he grabbed the wrong end of the metaphorical stick after me being nested up all cosy-shit in Demetri's room, taking my (pointless) pyjamas and some of my stuff out of his room and someplace else.

But _fucking_ hell, man! He didn't have to go all psycho-shit on me! I would have willingly gave him an explanation, if he'd given me the fucking chance. But with his temper going off at _me_, and my temper going off at _him_...well, let's just say we've got the art of non-communication _down_.

I've been sulking ever since, and he's been pretending I don't exist. Which, if I've gotta admit it, hurts more than I'd like.

"Awh, cheer up," Felix gives my other shoulder a squeeze (jeez, I feel like I'm being pegged on a fucking clothes line!). "Alec'll come round, as soon as his ego's healed. I'm betting Demetri's jibes and your moving out bruised it more than he'll admit." Felix gives a friendly wink and dashes off to gather the hunting party.

Ugh. Alone again.

Sighing, I decide to trail up to my room and watch some TV for a while. I have a lot of series to catch up on.

Oh, yes! I have my _own room_ now!

Betcha wern't expecting _that_ any time soon. Well, neither was I. Aro kinda sprung it on me spontainiously, as he tends to do, and who was I to say no to my very own bedroom?

It's not as fancy-shit as Alec's, and nowhere near as big, but I honestly prefer it that way. I'm only one tiny person, I only take up so much room! It's got all sortsa junk in it – my own TV and DVD system, a desk with a laptop, an eighties Boombox that used to belong to Corin, which is absolutely _plastered_ in stickers. Santiago re-vamped the box for me, taking out the tape mechanics and replacing it with a CD playing system. It's pretty damn amazing.

"Kind of a...welcome to the family present," he grinned in that cute little-kid way he does.

My room is painted a deep, shimmering purple, with polished floorboards. The wooden ceiling boards are black, and I have my own crystal chandelier swinging above the centre of my bedroom.

I've got my own four-poster bed, my own comfy sofa and coffee table and desk with a laptop. My ensuite bathroom is white and pale turquoise, all shiny and pretty. I have my own walk-in wardrobe with my teeny amount of clothes and shoes (Heidi insisted on donating me some shoes just to fill the space. I don't know why. I only ever wear my Doc Martens, but some people just cannot be deterred). There's also some other furniture that have all been broken and replaced at least once, but they're not worth details.

And so up I go, my hands shoved deep into the pockets of my jeans, hair swinging long and thick around my lowered face, blocking my view. Not that I'm really that dependant on it. My other heightened senses make up for the lack of sight.

This is why I know to spring away as I round a corner, my ears picking up on the rapid and close approach of footsteps. My advancer jumps back a bit too, and we both freeze.

I swallow back venom nervously. Alec's (for who else was it fucking going to be? Really? With my luck!) eyes pierce through me. Not sharply, just intensely. His entire form is rigid as the both of us pause.

I force my eyes – which drop automatically to the floor – to focus on his face again. He's dressed in full uniform and well fed, his eyes glowing a vivid crimson. His hair has been combed into submissive neatness. Every part of him appeared tweaked and polished to presentable perfection.

Only the best for the Volturi's massacres.

We regard one another warily, waiting for eachother to make the breach. Any time we've come across eachother in the past few weeks, a misinterpreted glance or a snide comment has sparked a vicious verbal fight. Never a physical one. He's never hit me. And from what I remember of Santiago's story, I'm confident that he never would.

Alec doesn't hit girls.

Alec sidesteps me without a word and walks away, his face brisk and eyes empty. I stare at his back, stung by the icyness of his exit. My throat pricks.

How is it that in spite of everything – our completely disasterous relationship to one another, our inability to go even a few weeks at a time without hating eachother passionately, his completely dickish attitute – that any time I manage to look at his face, all I want to do is kiss him?

Because I am completely and thoroughly fucked up, that's freaking why!

"I-"

My muscles seize up and I freeze. The sound comes from my throat before I can stop it, and Alec pauses. I grab fistfuls of my hoodie sleeves as he turns slowly, face perfectly blank as he regards me again. His expression is empty, but the look in his eyes wavers, uncertain.

He says nothing, of course, but he's waiting. Waiting for me, to make the first move.

I don't.

I _can't_. I don't feel up to another screaming match with him, even if he had the damn time. I gnaw on my lip to stop it from trembling as I drop my eyes and shake my head slightly, turning and walking away behind the safety of the corner.

_Fuck you_, I think viciously to myself. _Fuck you fuck you FUCK you for being such a goddamn coward! Can't you grow a set for once in your fucking life?_

But before I can reprimand myself into going back to face him, I hear him swallow deeply and ajust the fabric of his clothes, before walking away slower than before.

vVv

I don't make it to my bedroom. Corin captures me halfway there and says that Aro needs me for something important.

"Oh jeez, what on earth could he want?" I grumble, my voice a low growl under my breath as Corin tows me along. No matter what it is, it's bound to be something either completely awful or utterly depressing.

I would much rather go to my room. My room is filled with things I can break without getting into (much) trouble, and where I can mope in peace without being disturbed. Believe it or not, Volturi members actually have respect for the locks on their bedroom doors.

Corin gives me a lighthearted whack upside my head. My growl increases in volume, but she doesn't seem to give the slightest shit.

"Hurry up, this is very important," she orders.

I sigh loudly. "So you said."

I manage to dodge her hand this time. "Sulk later. Aro now," she insists, shoving the doors to Aro's office open and dragging me inside.

I want to crumple of the ground and _cry_. Like a fucking _baby_. That is just the mood I'm in.

Aro and Caius are there, but not Marcus. I don't have any idea where Marcus goes or what he does when his brother's aren't planning World Domination or some shit, but he's just so uninterested in the Volturi affairs that I can't see him putting any interest into their plots.

As a human, I wouldn't have noticed the four largely-built vampires lurking in the room's shadows. I do recognise them – they're members of the Lower guard. However, I've only ever seen them at a distance, and I don't know so much as their names.

Their menacing prescence instantly puts me at unease, and the hair on the back of my neck rises as a low hiss sizzles on my tongue.

"Relax, dear," Aro soothes, looking stressed. "They mean you no harm."

"Hey guys," Corin chirrups, her grin indicating that she knows them well. And when Corin knows somebody well, it usually means that she...erm...knows them _well_, if you get my drift.

They nod in return, smiling slightly. But they too look displeased, and this makes me wonder what on earth is going on.

Caius's scowl is replaced by a worried frown, his brows creased and arms folded. Aro's hands are clasped, his elbows resting on his table, but he looks openly worried about something.

"So," I begin. "What's going on?"

Aro sighs, and Caius's unpleasent voice answers my question.

"Our dear wives have been nagging at us. They deeply desire to meet our newest member," he says, frown deepening with every word.

I blink. This doesn't seem like such big news. "And?"

"Well, dear," Aro interjects. "You are still a newborn, after all. Your violent bursts of temper haven't seemed to have improved any, and your thirst is much the same. Frankly, we don't think it's exactly..._safe..._for you to be around them."

I bristle, insulted. Aro rebukes. "Well, not just yet," he says.

"However, they are insisting," Caius grumbles.

I grin openly. It's so amusing how even the most powerful vampires in the world, are putty in the hands of their loving wives.

I shrug. I need some entertainment, and to take my mind off things. "I'll be good," I promise. Neither of them relax.

"You have to be more that merely _good_," Caius snaps fiercely. "You must be positively _angelic_ – if that's even _possible_ for _you_."

"Now Caius," Aro chastes, patting Caius's arm. Caius jerks away sulkily, reminding me of myself in a sulk. I smile, just a little bit. "The child has never done anything malicious _deliberately_. I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt."

Caius hisses, realising that Aro's mind is made up. He spears me with vicious eyes.

"If any harm comes to our wives," he growls, long finger extended as he waves it madly in my direction. "I'll have you _all_ burned!"

"What?" Corin squeaks. "Why me?" The four vampires shuffle nervously, looking a hundred times more stressed than before.

"Because, Corin," Caius drawls, enjoying her anxiousness. "_You_ will be making the introductions."

"_Me_?"

"You," Caius confirms, a little smug. He loves watching people sweat. Metaphorically, anyway. If Corin was human, she's be positively fucking _dripping_.

"How come?" She whimpers, forgetting to be respectful. Aro replies.

"Sulpicia and Athenodora have forbidden Caius and I from being there, asking if we do not trust they're judgement," he sighs.

"We don't," Caius grumbles under his breath.

With a final warning for me to be good, Corin tugs me out of the room. I grin. Seems that these mythical wife figures have got their Almighty Overlord husbands thoroughly wrapped around their pale little fingers.

vVv

The four vampires follow Corin and I up thousands of winding steps. Corin lectures me frantically the entire way there, telling me to bow and be respectful and not speak unless spoken to and no swearing and no sarcasm and no fucking _breathing_ on these women.

Jesus, she _must_ be worried. Corin is not the lecturing type.

We reach a thick, square door, so large that two Felix's could fit underneath with no bother to them. Corin knocks rythmically on the wooden door, and an instant later, a soft, high voice replies.

"Enter."

Gulping, Corin does. Looping her arm through mine, she leads me inside, the wives' bodyguards following tightly behind us, so close that I can feel one of them against my back, his arms loose and ready to restrain me.

The pair are sitting regally in high-backed upholstered wooden chairs, in front of a small, circular table made of glass.

"Ah, Corin, sweetling! You've brought her," a woman smiles. I recognise her immediately from Caius's memories.

It's Sulpicia, tall and light blonde. Her ruby eyes are misted, like her husband's and brothers'-in-law. Her hair is woven into a thick braid, inlain with fresh spring flowers, and so long that as she's sitting, it graces her toes. She's dressed in an old-fashioned gold dress, with a pearly white wrap draped around her slender shoulders. She has pristine white sandals on her feet. Not the cheap kind of sandals like tourists wear, but shining, beautifully crafted shoes made from some kind of foreign, probably ancient material that I've never seen.

"At long last," Anthenodora agrees, tipping her head to the side and smiling invitingly.

Athenodora is equally as stunning. Her hair is more golden than Sulpicia's, and just as long and lovely. It's thinner than her companion's, and piled in top of her head in an elaborate bun, secured by an emerald clasp. She is also wearing an old dress, but her's is sapphire blue and long-sleeved, made of silk and velvet. She's more catlike in appearance than angelic Sulpicia.

Corin nudges me in the back, and I supress a glare. I've forgotten to bow. Obediently, I sweep down, and as I do, I recognise a taunting scent. In four crystal glasses on the table, there's fresh blood. Cold, but absolutely fresh. I don't breathe. If I do, I'll run to that damned able and empty those glasses down my throat in a heartbeat. But something tells be that that would be rude, so I stand rigidly. My eyes are fixated on my salvation until Corin gives me a vicious pinch.

"_Ow_!" I snap, giving her a fierce shove in response. She stumbles sideways before righting herself, glaring at me. I feel both my arms being siezed in strong hands, and my head whips around to see two of the bodyguards at my sides, hauling me backwards. I hiss.

"Forgive us, Highnesses," another of the men says worriedly, sending me death glares as I lean back in their grip, unimpressed and scowling. "We shall remove her immediately."

"Nonsense," Athenodora says firmly, elegant brows arching downwards in displeasure. "Release her, at once."

They hesitate, but do so without question. I stand still, chewing on my lip. I seem to have completely fucking forgotten to behave. Well done, me. Caius won't be too happy!

"We've heard a lot about you, sweetheart," Sulpicia smiles, undeterred. "Please, come and sit down."

I glance at Corin, who takes my hand and leads me to the table like one would lead a child. She takes the spare seat beside me while the guards line the circular walls of the tower room, poised and ready.

I decide to start off on the right foot for once, and be an adult. "Sorry about that," I hedge, not exactly sure how to word my apology politely.

Athenodora waves her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, dear. We've all been there."

"Besides," Sulpicia inputs, sharing a knowing glance with Corin. "You haven't met a vicious newborn until you've met dear Aleksander!"

I smother a sigh. Of course they'd want to talk about Alec. Because apparantly there is _no other_ topic of conversation in the whole fucking _world_.

But it's Corin they're teasing, not me. She laughs freely, not at all worried about acting right. "He's not _my _ problem any more," Corin winks. I freeze. Uh oh.

"Corin tells us all the gossip among the Guard," Athenodora smirks. I'm not offputted by her expression – I know she means well. I know her just as well as Caius does.

"And I know everything," Corin says smugly, her chin in the air. The wives laugh fondly. They treat Corin like a cherished younger sister. I guess they would – it's Corin's job to keep them happy. She spends most of her days up in the tower with them, keeping them company and giving them regular doses of her gift.

They both seem completely at ease, and I wonder if Corin's delivering the happy right this minute. I think of how I must seem to them – unhinged, tempermental and half-crazed by thirst. Are they really so relaxed with an unstable newborn in their prescence, or is this Corin's doing? Corin's leaned back in her chair, relaxed and as unpreturbed by everything as she usually is. I think of _my_ gift. It takes all of my effort and more. But Corin's been around a lot longer than I have, and her gift is at a much lesser degree than mine. Can she use it without anybody knowing? Jane could, if the outcome of her talent wasn't so cripplingly obvious. No one would know, aside from the odd glare or smug smirk.

I stare at Corin, realising something else. I took my slotting into the Volturi with almost finesse as a human. I was kept and mistreated and manipulated almost every step of the way. Shouldn't I have been crazed, depressed, suicidal? I'd kind of assumed that Chelsea had something to do with it. But seeing Sulpicia and Athenodora's instinctual fear as subdued as it is, I realise that it was Corin that kept me from slicing my own wrists open and offering myself up as a meal to end my own turmoil.

I give myself dues for keeping my expression neutral as this realisation hits home. I don't really know how to feel. Corin has undoubtably saved me from myself. Should I feel grateful? Or completely betrayed? My breath hitches – I could have escaped Volterra one way or another if not for her interference. Back as a human, I was little more than a form of amusement to her. She didn't do it for me. For Alec? I don't know. They don't seem to get along at the best of times, always bickering and taking snaps at eachother. Much the same as he and I.

Aro wanted me around, because of my possible usefulness as an immortal. But then why leave me in the destructive hands of Alec? I know I was meant to be his from the beginning, but wouldn't Aro want a possible addition to his multitude of talents kept in the safest possible care? Alec did look after me, to some extent. He never let harm come to me at the hands of others. He attacked Demetri to save me from him, put himself in the path of the Romanian soldiers not once, but twice, to keep me safe.

But...he was like a child in one way: no one else could have me or drink me or hurt me, but he was free to do all of the above because I was his. I was never without a cut or bruise. In a fit of rage after killing my only companion, he hurt me in the most fucking dispicable way. Aro always knew one aspect of what Pets were for. Why was he willing to risk my gift in that way? Put my life at risk? Wasn't that how Demetri's Pet died?

Aro wanted me, even had Corin and Chelsea ensure that I wasn't a danger to myself. Yet he let me be hurt and degraded by Alec on a daily basis. This makes absolutely fuck all sense to me and leaves my head whirling.

Confusion distracts me from the urge to drink every drop of blood in front of me, which gives me something to be grateful for.

It's rude to take what isn't yours.

vVv

I try to think of something to say, but for the first time ever, I'm struck dumb. It's not just my promise of best behavior (see? Being good really _isn't_ good for me!) but also the rich scent of blood, wafting right under my nose. I have to try not to inhale at all. Sulpicia notices my discomfort.

"Oh! I'm so sorry dear. We didn't realise," she says, sweeping her own glass up with one hand. Blood sloshes teasingly around the chalace, and I have to fight back a moan. "Please, go ahead."

Athenodora follows suit, picking up her own glass and taking a delicate, controlled sip. "You must understand, Phoenix. Being immortal for as long as we have been provides an excellent level of self-control. We hardly feel our thirst any more."

"We often forget what it's like for a newborn, permenantly tormented," Sulpicia tacks on sympathetically, waiting for me to give in to my desperate thirst.

I listen, envious of their control. I allow myself a small breath, and it's fatal. Being as careful as I can be with the delicate glass, I lift my drink into my hands and allow the heavenly liquid to seep through my parted lips, staining them crimson. Forcing my rigid hands to stay loose and not grip the glass tighter, I swallow rapturiously, draining the glass to the very last drop. Remembering my manners at the last second, I restrain myself from letting my tongue sweep along the rim, gathering the very last of it. I'm proud of myself for not smashing the glass up in these super-strong hands of mine. That would be quite the faux-pas.

The wives are still drinking with daintily small mouthfuls, content. Corin relaxes in her chair, not even bothered by her own glassful. However, when my eyes automatically snap to her drink, seeking more sustinance, she tuts and sweeps her glass up, holding it protectively.

"We were so shocked to hear of your transformation," Sulpicia says, distracting me. I find my voice at last.

"I know. I thought I was going to be killed too," I shrug. Sulpicia shakes her head.

"Oh no, we _knew_ you'd be changed sooner or later. Aro had a feeling about you," she smiles. Don't I know _that_ already.

Athenodora reclines in her seat, glass cupped lovingly in slim fingers. "I thought Alec would do it."

Sulpicia's lips turn downwards. "It's against the rules for guard members to sire humans, Athena. You know that."

Athenodora gives a small but wicked grin. "And since when has Aro's dearest boy been concerned with the rules?"

Sulpicia allows her own smile. "I suppose you are right, dear. But your husband would have punished him severely for it."

Athenodora's dainty shoulders lift and drop in a shrug. "Perhaps. You know he has a soft spot for the twins. All that lovely power!" She laughs, and the sound of windchimes tinkle softly. "He'd so hate to waste it."

My brows crease. It's hard to imagine Caius having a soft spot for _anything_, but I know she's right. Though he'd much rather have the power himself, Caius wasn't going to destroy the vessil to Alec's astounding gift any time soon. No _wonder_ Alec gets away with fucking murder!

"How are you settling into vampiric life, Phoenix?" Athenodora asks, swallowing the last of her blood and placing her glass back on the table.

"It's alright," I wrestle with my words, reminding myself to be polite every five freakking seconds. "I mean...I like the idea that I'll never get old. The whole idea of dentures was never appealing to me."

Sulpicia and Athenodora laugh easily, and I relax slightly as Corin chimes in, laughing too.

"You'll never have to deal with saggy boobs either, be thankful for _that_!" She cackles. The wives don't turn a hair at her comment – they're obviously used to her being upfront.

"Gee, thanks," I reply, rolling my eyes good-naturedly. "You really are a mountain of genius, Corin. Really."

"I know," she beams smugly.

Sulpicia brings us back on topic. "I remember when dear Corin told us about the Romanians kidnap," she replies, her voice not lacking drama at the scandal. "And when we found out _you_'d gone after them! It was certainly a surprise."

"The next thing we know, Aro's bounding through the door with the news that you're not only immortal, but gifted, like he'd suspected!" Athenodora shakes her head, smiling. I wonder how her own husband reacted to _that_ little titbit. I wonder if he told her about my reading his mind. If he did, she seems unbothered by me knowing every aspect of her sex life.

"Oh, yes!" Sulpicia claps her hands together in delight, and it's then that I see how suited she and Aro are for eachother. I can't help a soft smile. Please – even _I'm_ a romantic at heart! "Please, we _must_ have a demonstration! Aro explained it to us, but it would be much easier to understand if we were to see it in person."

My smile becomes a grin. I know that it would be completely fucktarded of me to use it on the wives – totally suicidal – so I turn my body in my chair and stare at the four bodyguards leaning against the wall. One gives me what I need and returns my gaze, looking me in the eyes.

I forge the connection immediately, and my smirk is reflected on his chisled jaw. I flex his arm, clenching his fingers into a fist.

The others are staring at him. They don't know about my gift – Aro's keeping it on the down-low incase it should attract some unwanted attention. So they're completely puzzled as to why their companion is grinning madly. One takes a step and stands in front of him, concerned. The blockage between us isn't enough to break the connection – I can still see his eyes.

The other two guards jump in shock when the guard under my control flexes his muscled arm and lays a strong punch to the other vampire's nose.

The vampire who was struck falls to his back on the floor, more shocked than hurt. He props himself up on his elbows, jaw slack and eyes wide. Smiliing and satisfied, I release my hold on my vampire.

His smile – my smile – drops immediately and he reels, clutching his head in confusion. He slumps against the wall, a low hiss escaping between clenched teeth. I can't help but feel smug.

Sulpicia blinks, a little shocked. Athenodora laughs out loud, delighted. Corin, who knows her friends won't appreciate her going to bits, sags into her seat with both hands over her mouth, eyes squeezed shut as she shakes with silent laughter.

"Wonderful!" Athenodora laughs. The fallen guards right themselves, both growling. Sulpicia's features relax into a soft smile.

"Now, darlings," she croons. "Don't get yourselves upset over nothing! Why don't you four go and wait outside for us?"

Her voice is kind and reassuring, but it's an order. With obvious reluctance, the four of them drift towards the door, each shooting me their own special kind of evils. I grin some more.

Looks like I won't have any admirers amongst the Lower. This is just fine and freaking dandy with me. I don't _need_ any more friends. I can only stand so much company.

There's a knock at the door almost as soon as the damn thing's shut. Athenodora looks irritated.

"Yes?"

The door is opened for Santiago as he steps inside, dodging the guards and wearing his usual happy-puppy grin. He bows respectfully to the wives, who smile in return. It seems there's nobody out there who can help loving Santiago.

" 'Sup, Santi?" Corin greets cheerfully, kneeling up on her chair to peer over the top at him.

"Ladies," he says cheekily. Sulpicia tuts but is obviously not bothered. "Marcus wants you, Corin," he announces.

Corin's expression shifts. She glances sideways at me, anxious.

"Alright then," she says hesitantly. "Come on, Nyx. Time to go."

"Nonsense," Athenodora says. Her voice is light, but obviously firm. "Young Phoenix will be fine here with us."

Corin is obviously not worried about whether I'll be fine with _them_, but if they'll be fine with _me._

"The guards are right outside," Santiago says breezily.

"Exactly," Sulpicia smiles. She nods to Corin, who looks very uneasy. "Off you go, sweetheart. We'll see you tomorrow."

Corin shoots me a warning glance. If I needed to be good before, now I need to be Jesus fucking Christ himself.

Santiago sends me a wink of reassurance before ushering Corin out of the tower room. We can still hear her complaining when she's halfway down the steps. Sulpicia smiles fondly.

"She's a passionate girl, Corin," she says, shaking her head as Corin shows just how _passionate_ she can be by leaving Santiago on the recieving end of a string of cuss words.

"I like Santiago. So does Caius. Such a cheerful lad. He can see the bright side in any situation," Athenodora's smiling too.

"He's the one who helped me get to Romania," I say, a little uncertainly.

"We know," Athenodora tuts. "Cheerful he may be, but common sense never seems to register with him!"

"He didn't very well see the bright side in _that_," Sulpicia smiles, still completely at ease with me even with Corin's absense.

Athenodora leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees and looking at me in question. "Why did you go?" She asks me.

"To Romania?"

She nods. "Your death in Romania was inevitable. Didn't you know this?"

My fingers tremble a little bit at the rush of memories, and I clasp them together in my lap. "I had a decent idea," I say, trying to keep my tone polite. But it's hard, because my automatic reaction to remembering Romania and the dungeons and Vladimir is to become vicious. I reign in my automatic temper as hatred pulses through me like my long-forgotten heartbeat. I try to distract myself, thinking instead about how disappointing it would be to break this pretty table, carved so nicely from icy glass that reflects light off the corners like my own skin.

"I had to go," I say finally. "No one else was going to."

"Aro would have sorted something out," Sulpicia says devotedly. I don't voice my criticisims, but I find this hard to believe. Still, love is blind, I suppose. Especially if you're trapped up in a tower all damn day and night and the idea of your lover is the only thing keeping you sane...

Ew, old people sex. EW!

Athenodora seems to share my opinion about Aro's involvement, but she stays silent too.

After a moment I realise that she's not being quiet for Sulpicia's benefit. She's using that shrewd mind of hers that Caius loves so much (yeah, he does have a heart, really. Deep, deep, _deep_ down...) and is figuring things out in an instant.

"Was it because of Alec?" She asks, the glittering in her eyes telling me that she already knows – she's just waiting for me to deny it hurriedly for her entertainment.

Sulpicia turns, the look of surprise on her face quickly turning to one of smugness. I have to fight a groan. I'm suddenly _really_ glad that Corin skedaddled of someplace else, because if she was here right now I'd be getting the piss-take of a fucking _lifetime_.

I don't know whether to lie or not. I chew the ball of my tongue bar in my teeth, being careful not to crush it, and go for a half-truth.

"I don't really remember," I shrug, keeping my poker face like a pro. "I just knew that I had to go, and I did."

Athenodora looks disappointed by my answer lacking in juicyness. Sulpicia's eyes tell me that she isn't fooled, not by a long shot, and I wonder if Aro told her something.

"How are things with you two?" She asks, crossing her long legs under her gown.

Shit. Things are SHIT.

"Fine. Things are fine."

I mean, at this point I thought I was keeping my emotions pretty much under reign. I don't realise the complete traged mask I'm wearing until Sulpicia's expression becomes sympathetic and Athenodora's head tilts innocently to the side.

"You know, we had him up here the other day," she says nonchalantly.

My posture straightens a little. It is _extremely_ hard to imagine Alec sitting up here, perched in these big poofy chairs sipping blood and sharing gossip with the wives. Still, if they wanted him up here, I'm betting he would have come. As I've learned from Caius and Aro, there's no denying the Volturi Wives.

"Really?" I ask, trying to sound disinterested. But my insides are bubbling. I'm just _dying_ to know what went on. Call it my inner gossip whore coming out, but I have a feeling they wanted him up for more than friendly chitchat.

Sulpicia nods, her dainty head bobbing gently. "Aro asked us to talk with him, actually."

Uh oh. My awkward-conversation alarm is sounding! Something seems like this would have been one uncomfortable affair. Not for them, they seem to enjoy any company, but for Alec, who likes to avoid most company altogether.

Athenodora gives a cute half-smirk, making her look like a sarcastic teenage girl (coughREGINAGEORGEcough). "It was a rather uneventful visit, actually. After about ten minutes of conversation, his replies became little more than grunts and nods," she chuckles, rolling her eyes in a _typical-boys_ fashion. I allow myself a little smile. It's a conversation I can visualise perfectly.

They're baiting me, I know they are. Thing is, I'm willing to fall for it hook line and fucking sinker if it means they'll spill the info I want.

"What did you guys talk about?" I ask, trying to keep up my nonchalance-face as best I can. They share a subtle we've-got-her-NOW look, and I feel a sinking feeling low in my belly. Whoops.

It's Sulpicia's turn to play the nonchalance card, and she shrugs dainty shoulders. "Nothing much. Aro wanted us to give him the...what did he call it, Athena?"

"Ah, the female perspective, I think it was," Athenodora smiles, her expression wicked. She's enjoying herself, the evil bitch. Enjoying my confusion! Athenodaius – evil love match of the century. "Chelsea had worn herself out trying to get his head straight, the poor dear."

"Oh, the dear child was awfully confused," Sulpicia simpers. Athenodora pats her hand, both of them looking a little frenzied. My brow furrows. Wow, they really _don't_ get out much, do they?

I sigh, giving in to their hints again. "About what?"

Athenodora's smile is perfectly evil, looking completely entertained. Sulpicia's is much sweeter, more excited. I feel like I should be cringing, but I don't know why.

"Well," Sulpicia smiles widely, showing all her pearly whites. "He's not very used to being in love."

And I choke. On absolutely _nothing_.

**Oh, I LOLed so much writing that last bit. Poor Sully and Dora, they need SOME entertainment up in there!**


	25. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes

**Wow, am SO freaking relieved to see that people havn't completely given up hope on me and this story (also, I will forever question my ability to spell haven't. O_o My spellchecker is utterly upfucked). I have about half a dozen chapters half-done, it's just a matter of figuring out how to stitch them all up. I'm just fucking dying to get to 400 reviews!**

_Here we go, welcome to my funeral,_

_Without you, I don't even have a pulse._

_All alone, it's dark and cold,_

_With every move I die..._

Felix and his entourage have been missing in serious lack-of-action for four days now. They're okay – no hassle from the Romanians or any shit like that. They've been calling every five minutes just to ease Aro's worries. He was so reluctant to send them out, especially the twins, that every minute they've been gone he's been in full panic-attack mode.

Which quickly went from extremely amusing, to completely annoying.

Caius, for once, agrees with me. And looked like he wanted to grab Aro's brick of a cell phone (Aro's an old guy...what can I say?) and smash it into bitty pieces. Which would have been funny, but not very wise as Aro would have gone apeshit

Also, them being gone means I can relax a little bit. No unspoken competition with Jane. No bitter glares from Alec.

Oh, and I have hereby decided that the wives are batshit crazy all locked up and lonesome, and any and all babble that pours from their pretty little mouths cannot be taken seriously. Which is why I have chosen to completely forget the whole 'Alec in love' thing. That's bullshit. I believe that Alec is incapable from feeling anything besides anger, thirst and lust. The end.

The guard that have been left behind are frantically preparing for the ball that Aro decided to throw. That man has THE worst case of ADD I've ever seen. Also, I have no idea what was going through that hectic mind of his when he decided to put _Heidi_ in charge of organising the whole shindig.

Sweet Lord divine, Heidi.

The woman's fucking nuts! The words high-maintinance seem like a mild term in comparison to the hurricane formerly known as the Volturi's fisher-woman bait...person.

Apparantly, Heidi's always orchestrated such events. And even when she's going psycho shit all over the place, I have to admit that I see why.

The Ball room is a place I've only been in once or twice. I huge circular room with a dome-shaped ceiling made from glass and stone arches. It's light and aired with some balconies way up high. It's on ground level, and two big glass doors lead out into the castle garden.

I mosey on in with Renata, curious about what all the shrieking's about. A lot of the lower guard have been brought in to help out, and they're buzzing around the room like bees in a hive. Heidi is the Queen – and fuck if she doesn't let everybody know it!

"Santiago!" She barks, clipboard tucked under one arm. She's glaring up into one of the balconies, where the vampire in question is faffling around with a lights system. "Did I say disco lighting? _No I did not_! I said dim – _dim and romantic_! Is that too hard for you?"

There's a grumble from up in the balcony. Something along the lines of '_dim like you_.' Heidi chooses not to hear.

"Everything going okay?" Renata asks, a little timidly. Heidi huffs.

"We're behind on schedual," she seeths. The colourful lights disappear, and Heidi starts barking orders at a cluster of chatting vampires. "I'm not paying you to sit around! Go! Set up the table, get the challaces, order the ice sculpture!"

They disperse, looking dejected. One mutters; "You're not the one paying us."

Heidi's furious growl sends them all scattering to do her biddings. She pinches the bridge of her nose, looking stressed. "I wish Jane was here," she moans. "She always keeps them motivated."

I'll bet.

"Don't worry Heidi," Renata says, smiling. "We still have until the end of the week. That's plenty of time."

Suddenly, the room descends into complete darkness. There's a beat of surprised silence before Heidi screams.

"_Santiago_!"

"Finger slipped!" Santiago sings, sounding a tad too gleeful. Heidi's about to start yelling at him again when she's interrupted by a smooth hand against her back.

"Calm down, Heidi my sweet," Demetri soothes. She does, breathing deeply, but her tense shoulders don't relax. Little Sandrine (who's been getting her fair share of _looks_ from the lower guard) grabs ahold of Heidi's skirt with one hand. Her free thumb plugs her mouth adorably. Heidi's face softens, and she bends down to scoop the girl into her arms.

"What are we going to do with her during the ball?" Renata asks suddenly, face creasing with worry.

Nobody from the vampire public can see her – the Volturi are breaking their own rules and being downright damn hypocrites by keeping her tucked up all snug in their castle. Upon this realisation, Heidi's eyes bug from her head and her jaw slacks in horror. Sandrine stares at her face, a cute smile lighting up her dimples as she takes in Heidi's funny expression. The girl pats Heidi's cheek with one tiny hand.

Before Heidi can spiral into full-on shitfit mode, Demetri swoops in with an answer.

"The slaves won't be attending the ball," he says smoothly. "Aro says they're not up to socializing just yet. They can care for her in the Lounge whilst we are down here. I can guarantee that anyone staying the night will be too _occupied_-" His eyes cut to Corin across the room, who's flapping a massive black tablecloth like a bullfighter, and he shakes his head with a half-grin. "To even know she exists."

Heidi relaxes and gives a proper soft smile, taking the little girls hand between her fingers. "Yes, yes, that's right," she breathes, still looking a little worried. I grimace. They can't hide Sandrine from the vampire public _forever_. Eventually, something will have to be done. And – call me pessemistic – but I doubt that _something_ will be all sunshine-and-roses shit.

Just then, Chelsea sweeps into the room in full uniform as black as the Leaders', her cloak billowing out behind her. Her eyes zero in on us, and she approaches.

"Demetri, Phoenix, the Ancients want you both," she says. Demetri blinks.

"What did you do _now_?" He groans.

"_Me_? I didn't do anything! You really should have more faith in me, Demetri. Gosh. This is just shameful."

Silence. No one seems at all moved by my declaration. Demetri looks exsasperated, and turns to Chelsea. "What did she do _now_?"

Chelsea smiles. "Nothing. She didn't do anything."

"_See_!"

"They're waiting for you," Chelsea says. Sandrine gives a pitiful whimper and dislodges her hand from her mouth to touch her throat.

"Thirsty again?" Heidi croons. Sandrine butts her head forcefully against Heidi's shoulder, whining and grasping at the fabric of Heidi's blouse. Chelsea frowns, looking displeased. Demetri gives her a look, which she ignores. She holds her arms out.

"I'll take her," she says, voice gentler than I expected. "You've got things to do."

Heidi looks reluctant as she hands the child to Chelsea. Chelsea doesn't cradle Sandrine like Heidi does. Instead she lets the girl straddle her curvy hip.

"Come along," she says to Demetri and I, who share a tension-filled look and follow after her. Chelsea walks briskly from the room as quickly as she entered it.

vVv

My theory of _SHIT! I'm in trouble again!_ Is squandered as Demetri and I walk into Aro's office like kids in disgrace only to come face to face with three smiling Ancients. And by _three smiling Ancients_, I mean Aro is smiling properly, Marcus looks a little more interested in life than usual and Caius doesn't glower at me.

"Hello dears," Aro chirrups.

"Masters," Demetri greets, respectful as usual.

"How goes it?" I reply cheerfully, feeling relieved as _fuck_. I dunno, I always have this quiet fear that they're gonna decide I'm not worth the hassle and rip me up into nice little pieces.

Caius sighs but says nothing about my informal greeting. He looks a little tired. Awh. Poor dearie! I'd offer him a hug, but I'm not that nice. Also, I doubt he'd appreciate the _extreme_ generosity.

"Rather well, actually," Aro smiles. He pulls something from the deep pocket of his robe – a rectangular, wooden jewelerry box with a red silk ribbon tied around it.

My first thought is _OMFG! A PRESENT!_ But my _second_ thought is _erm...le what? Is it my birthday or some shit? Do I have THE shittest memory of all time?_

Aro beckons me, and I walk forward, half cautious, half jittery with excitement. He presses the box into my hand, looking at me expectantly. I glance back at Demetri with a _the fuck?_ expression on my face, but he just nods encouragingly – he knows whats up with this shit.

Curiosity taking control, I tug lightly on the bow, and the ribbon falls away easily. Flipping the gold catch on the box, I lift the lid and stare inside in utter shock.

I must look funny as fuck, because Demetri starts to laugh.

"We would appreciate it immensely, if you were to wear this on the night of the ball," Aro says, gently nudging my jaw back into place with his finger. Even Caius looks amused now. I'm still a little shocked.

"Uh, of course," I mumble, trying hard to remember to use my grown-up words.

"This is only your unnoficcial initiation," Caius says, interrupting my little moment of stupification. I drag my eyes away from my box to look at him.

"Unofficial?"

Aro nods. "Your proper initiation into the Guard will take place with a small ceremony in a few weeks time."

I don't even feel like complaining about the idea of some stupid ritual with my little ol' self as the centerpiece. I was _not_ expecting this – soon, or ever. I mean, I knew that Aro wanted my power among his collection, but I wasn't expecting him to get on his high horse and be all official about it.

But I don't feel annoyed. I feel strangely proud as I gaze down at my very own Volturi V-chain, set in off-gold with my own tiny personalised charm dangling from one of the links. It's a very small, very intricate key.

vVv

I'm still feeling a little bit dazed when Heidi – a little calmer than before – grapples me from behind and hauls me to her bedroom.

"Holy fucking hell! Give a girl some warning, woman!" I yell as she tosses me in the door. Corin's sitting on the edge of Heidi's bed (more fool Corin...that thing's crawling with Demetri-germs) swinging her legs childishly. The bed is absolutely covered in dresses of every shape and size and texture.

"A very frightening thought occured to me whilst I was choosing the drapes," Heidi says, her voice eerily calm.

"Actually, I'm having some very frightening thoughts right n...why are you locking the door?" My voice shoots several octaves higher when Heidi clicks the lock, and tucks the key deep into her bosom. Corin's face becomes one of _pure fucking evil_, and she walks slowly towards me.

"What's going on...?" I ask weakly, a terrible suspicion sneaking up on me.

"Heidi, would you care to illustrate your very frightening thought?" Corin asks sweetly.

"Thank you Corin; I shall. You see, Phoenix, my very frightening thought was that you, my dear, have absolutely nothing to wear to this event," Heidi says, eyes narrowing upon every word as if it's my _fault_ that I'm completely fashion-deficient.

"Oh," I say, blowing upwards and ruffling my bangs. "I was just planning on kickin' it in a pair of jeans and my Docs."

Heidi glares viciously. "I'm not even going to dignify that tasteless joke with a response."

"...Joke?"

"I'm not just here to donate some dresses," Corin says, sounding giddy with excitement. "See, Heidi knows that you won't go into this little dress-up game willingly. She also knows that if you resist, I will happily strip you," Corin says evilly. "You can't take both of us."

Sweet Jesus. They morph into twin Hitlers before my eyes.

"Want a bet?" I growl.

"Corin?" Heidi asks, stretching her arms out lazily. My eyes widen.

Corin jumps me, knocking us both to the ground. I yelp loudly as my head whacks off the floorboards. Corin sits on my thighs, her legs splayed out either side of me. I manage to gather my frantic instincts enough to sieze her mind and throw her off, but Heidi snatches me just as I do, clenching her arm around my neck.

I'm a good enough fighter, but she's had much more experience than me and manages to grapple me in a way that makes it hurt when I wriggle.

"Quick, Corin! Undo her shirt!"

"No, Corin! Undo _her_ shirt!"

"I find that I'm very interested in what's going on behind this door," Santiago announces from out in the hall.

"Piss off, Santiago, get back to those lights!" Heidi yells, her grip tightening.

"Santiago help me! They're trying to strip me!"

" 'Giz a minuite," Corin mumbles, stumbling a little bit as she makes her way over to us and grabs fistfuls of my favourite shirt in her hands. In one painful movement, there's a ripping sound and my shirt falls away in her grasp.

"Oh, very nice," I spit sourly. Heidi releases me, examining Corin's witless expression.

"Corin, please control your staring a _little_ bit," she says, sounding a little embarrassed on my behalf. I don't feel embarrassed, even though I'm now standing in nothing but my bra and shorts. I know that Corin's not staring at my chest, she's staring at what I had tucked under my clothes.

"So this is why they wanted you," she says, sounding mystified. Heidi spins me around so suddenly that I stumble a little, and she gasps loudly.

"Oh my God!" She cries, throwing her arms around me dramatically, succuming to her emotions. "This is fantastic!"

"I feel so _excluded_!" Santiago wails. He goes ignored, the poor guy.

Corin holds the V of my necklace lightly in her hand. My key charm rests against her thumb, and she scrutinises it carefully.

"A key," she muses. "Because you can unlock peoples minds!" She drops my necklace and wiggles her fingers spookily. I roll my eyes. Bitch ripped my shirt.

"Unlock," Heidi ponders, tapping the side of her face with her index finger. Suddenly she gasps again. "_OhmyGod_! She's the key to the lock!"

Well colour me good and properly confuzzled. Huh?

Corin's eyes widen comically in realisation, and I wonder what the fuck I'm in the dark about. They're both grinning like clowns at a circus (clowns freak me out, kay? NOBODY SHOULD BE THAT HAPPY. Ugh. Shudder). There's repeated banging on the door. Corin whirls around, long hair swinging, and marches to the door and throws it open.

"Oh. Hello," Santiago blinks, surprised to see the majority of us fully clothed.

Sigh. What is my life?

"LOOKIT," Corin exclaims, rushing back to me and jabbing me in the chest. I assume she means my new necklace and not my breasts, which I'm suddenly aware are quite blatantly on display. I squirm a little. Santiago's staring at me with bugged eyes and his jaw hanging so low I'm beginning to worry it might fall off. And, if it wasn't obvious to everybody before, he's got _boy parts_.

...I assume.

"Whoa," he blurts out, seemingly completely fucking flabbergasted. "Whoa. Whoa."

"Isn't it incredible?" Heidi swoons, clasping her hands together, all signs of crankyness gone.

"Whoa."

"I agree," I mutter. When his stares become a tad too much for my delicately girlish senses to handle, I snap my fingers. "Dude! Eyes front and centre – my face is up here."

Santiago blinks rapidly, grinning like a kid who ain't a bit ashamed of having his hand caught in the cookie jar. Cause kids like cookies, the end.

"Yeah," he replies. Then he breaks into laughter. "Congrats, little Nyx!" And then I'm swept up into a huge hug, my arms pinned to my sides and my feet dangling off the ground. Corin, deciding she wants in on the hugging, flings her arms around both of us. And then Heidi joins in and it's only then that I realise that three people are hugging me while I'm half-naked.

Ain't unlife grand?

"Most awkward hugfest of all time," I announce.

Corin snorts, giving me a light headbutt. "We could always take off some clothes to join you," she suggests, winking.

"Here here," Santiago says, his voice muffled as his face happens to be buried accidentally in Heidi's thick hair. She scoffs at both of them.

"So immature."

"I'm inclined to agree."

Our four heads must look hella funny, whipping around at the exactly same time to catch Felix leaning against the doorway, cloak thrown causally over his buff arm, one dark brow raised.

"Felix! You're home!" Santiago says gleefully. Awh, bromance!

"Felix! Get downstairs! There are plenty of jobs to go around!" Heidi orders, scowling menacingly. Felix grimaces. And Corin just _has_ to butt in.

"Yo, Felix, get in on this hug – Nyx is naked!" She yells. Felix chokes out a laugh.

"Not _totally_ naked," I protest, glowering fiercely. That's when I feel somebody start to fumble at my bra clasp.

"_Stop stripping me! Jesus!_" I yelp. "You Volturi are all downright _perverts_!"

"Oh, she's one to talk!" Santiago scoffs, nudging my thigh with his knee.

"Alright, I'll give you that one," I grin.

"Ah!" Heidi corrects. "It's _us_ Volturi, now."

Felix's brow wrinkles in confusion. "Huh?"

I roll my eyes when Heidi's hand searches around my tits for my necklace and holds it up above our heads, still smushed closely together in our group hug. Felix gapes, shocked.

A moment of bewildered silence passes, and I sigh. "C'mon then, big guy – y'know you want in on this hug," I say, unable to hide my grin. Felix's eyes roll.

"Well, if you do insist."

In the same second, there are four loud choked groans as Felix's huge arms wrap around us all and haul us further off the ground for an enormous guts-squelching bear hug, his deep laugh echoing through the room.

Santiago gives a dramatic wail. "_Ribs...cracking...bones...shattering! _Tell my wife I care for her a little."

"You mean your imaginary wife?"

"The very one."

And I have to sigh, wondering to myself how I got myself mixed in with this crowd of lovable, but undeniably retarded lunatics.

The answer comes to me as quickly as the question, and my good mood vanishes as if it had been a mere illusion from the beginning.

vVv

"_Nothing_!" Heidi seeths, flinging a scrap of blue fabric away in disgust. I have been subjected to trying on about fifty dresses and apparantly not one of them has met the seductress's standards. "Absolutely nothing!"

I'm beyond sick of this sadistic dress-up game as I sit cross-legged on the ground in my underwear. My arms are folded below my chest and I sulk, watching Heidi glare at the articles of clothing on her bed as if she wants to actually cause them pain.

Corin's staring blankly into thin air, her long index nail tapping the side of her face in rythym to the clock ticking on Heidi's wall. She's grown as bored as I am. "She could aways go naked."

"She needs to make the right first impression," Heidi moans.

"Naked always makes an impression," Corin argues semi-seriously.

"I liked the red-" I begin. But of course, as usual, I'm cut off like a cheap whore on prom night.

"No you didn't," they say in unison, almost growling.

I whine and thrust my face into my hands. "Why do you hate me?" I wail. I'm beginning to get thirsty and it's wearing down my patience a fucklot faster.

There's a brief knock, and Chelsea's head pops around the door. "Any luck?"

Heidi throws her an anguished look that explains all. Chelsea laughs lightly.

"Chelsea," Corin groans. "This is _impossible_."

"I liked the-"

"No she didn't," Heidi butts in. My eyes narrow to ruby slits.

"But I did though."

I go ignored – no surprise there. But Chelsea smiles. "I think I have a solution."

Suddenly, she opens the door fully and wheels a rail of fancy-looking dresses inside. Heidi and Corin stare at the vampiress like she's Christ ressurrected. I grimace. Fantabulous. More dressup.

"I always keep the things we've brought back from here and there. These are some dresses we got from Thailand and never wore. These are all Nyx's size. But, I do have a favourite in particular," she smiles, plucking a hanger from the rail and thrusting it into my hands.

"Try it on," Heidi orders, prodding me towards her bathroom. And because I don't have the energy to argue, I stalk inside, muttering hexes under my breath.

I note that the dress is backless, so I unhook my bra quickly and drop it carelessly. I slide the soft fabric over my head before looking in the mirror.

It's better than anything I've been forced into so far. The skirt is light and flowy and lifts when I twirl. The fabric is black with gold embroiderments, which is not only pretty but will match my new necklace flawlessly.

When I walk back into the bedroom, the three of them are waiting impatiently. Their eyes zero in on me in my dress, and they all nod approvingly.

Personally, I _like_ the dress. But I think they've just given up on me and are willing to let me wear anything. If Chelsea had traipsed in here with a rail of halloween costumes, they'd have gone along with it.

So would I.

vVv

_Alec and I recline lazily in the bathtub, our decency protected by the hefty mass of bubbles so soft that I can pop them with just a look. The soft scent of lavander wafts through the room, the air dense with hot steam. Because of the frigid temperatures of our body, there's an effect like condensation and the steam makes our bodies gleam slick with wetness without the aid of water._

_Alec lays a trail of kisses against my jaw as my nails scrape up and down his thighs and calves. His hand massages my left breast while his other hand lazily strokes my folds under the water, making me sigh. We're not striving for release – not at the moment, anyway - just relaxing after an intense day of mental training._

"_Y'know what I miss?" I ask, leaning my head back against his strong shoulder._

"_What?" He murmurs, his thumb grazing back and forth over my erect nipple, sending light thrills through my belly._

"_Coffee," I grin. _

_I feel him frown, and my grin expands at his confusion. "Nyx, you _hated_ coffee. You once made me buy a jar of coffee beans, drank one mouthful of one cup and then called me a fucking moron for buying a whole jar of the stuff when you couldn't stand it."_

"_I hated the taste," I correct him, trying to sort through my fuzzy memories to find that one in particular. "Foul beyond fucking words. But I loved the smell. Reminds me of fancy-shit hotels. I think I was in one once."_

"_A hotel?"_

"_Mmm."_

"_I think you would love the Hotels in Paris. Beautiful. Relaxed. And I guarantee that they stink of coffee," he smirks, drawing my earlobe between his teeth. I lift my arm to let my wet fingers smooth through the damp strands of his hair, silky and supple._

"_And full of human snacks," I smirk evilly._

_Alec chuckles and releases my flesh, drawing his wet tongue once along the line of my jaw. I purr. "In a few years, when you're more controlled, I'll take you to one."_

"_A hotel? In Paris?"_

"_Mmm hmm."_

_I feel excitement grow like a kid who's been told she's going to Disneyland. Before I had come to Italy, I'd never been outside America, and I'd always wanted to. I realise now that I have all the time I could wish for, and the whole world lain at my feet, ready to be explored. The ripple of excitement that flushes through me isn't just because of Alec's fingertips drifting against my clit._

_I push away from his body and turn in the hot water, sitting astride his thighs and letting my hands rest against his sculpted chest. "Promise," I order. It's not a question. He get's no choice in this. I want Paris. I am willing to wait...for a little while, at least. But one way or another, before the year is out he is taking me to Paris even if I have to rip him up and stuff his remains into a suitcase to get him there._

_He gives one light chuckle and drags my lips to his, giving me a soft, lazy, lingering kiss. His fingers comb though my dripping hair as the kiss deepens, and I feel his previously soft organ stirr between us._

_The dinner bell chimes in the distance, signalling Heidi's arrival with our feast. My head snaps away from his, eyes wide and throat suddenly scorching. Alec sighs as I lurch to my feet in the bath, alert and thirsty. A mini-tsunami of water surges over the side of the bath and spills onto the floor, soaking the tiles. Whoops._

"_My bad," I declare, not really giving much of a shit but feeling the need to apologise because one of us will have to clean that up – and I can tell you now that that someone will not be me. Alec's hands drift up and down my calves, and he makes no move to get up and dry off for our meal._

"_Come on," I order, hearing the clamour of tourists being lead through the castle to the dining hall. Alec grins, his posture leisurely. _

"_No, thank you," he drawls, leaning back further in the remaining water. "I like the view from right here."_

_My skin feels hot as his eyes drink in my naked form. It's not as if he hasn't seem me this way before, but still, I can't help but feel a little weird and tickly as half-lidded eyes scrutinize my most private places._

_I pause, my lust expanding. A growl begins to vibrate in my throat. Alec's hands slip behind the backs of my knees, going to pull me back down into his lap for a more thorough exploration of our fleshly desires._

_There's a scream in the distance, followed by another and another until an entire chorus of delicious torment reaches our sensitive ears._

"_Shit!" I hiss, leaping out of the bath and landing easily on my toes. "Fuck! We're missing the whole damn dinner! C'mon!"_

_I snatch up a towel and rub it frantically against my skin, drying off as quickly as I can so we can join the massacre._

_Alec gives a groan of exsasperation and rises, stepping over the edge of the bath with a lot more patience and grace. "You know, I can't wait until you're a little older. You'll learn that it won't kill you to miss a meal or two."_

vVv

I'm stirred from my memory by a knock at my door. I blink. Shit. I really zoned out there.

I hop over the back of my sofa, dropping the book I had been reading before I got bored and started daydreaming as I tend to do. In the blink of an eye, I reach my door, slide the lock free and swing it open.

Alec stands there with something in his arms. His expression is empty as usual, but his posture is tense. When I get over the surprise of seeing him there (we're far from making social calls these days) I manage to ground out a pitifully weak; "What're you doing here?"

Oh, charming. It's not as if we both live here or anything. Nope.

He doesn't seem to give a fuck about my usual word-babble. "Here," he grunts, pressing the object into my hands. "I found it earlier. It's yours."

I open my mouth to say something – a sarcastic comment would do nicely, thankyouverymuch, but somehow I can't seem to form any thoughts that don't revolve around him and how pretty he looks when he sulks.

He says nothing either. A wave of sadness _whumphs_ in my chest when I realise that there really is fucking nothing between us anymore. At least when we were raging mad at eachother, we had the passion of vicious fighting. Now, nothing. Nothing at all. It's like greeting a complete stranger outside my door.

I clench my fists around the alien object in my hands. My fingers ache to touch him; his face; his jaw; his mouth; his brow. However, I highly doubt that molesting his head would be received very well, given the circumstances. And I would like to turn up to the ball tonight with hands.

"Are you going to the ball?" I ask limply. "I mean...I am."

Oh Lord. Cringe moment. I just have _such _ a fucking way with words. Truly – I am the next Shakespeare.

His expression softens the tiniest measure, and he nods. "I was planning on it."

Suddenly, there's a call of his name from somewhere else in the household.

Alec takes a small step back from my doorway, glancing right. "My sister wants me..."

Awkward silence. Awkward silence.

"Alright," I blurt out. "Er, thanks for the...thing." And I retreat into the safety of my room, visibly cringing. I slam the door shut and bolt the lock again.

What. The. Fuck.

There's an audible sigh from the hall, and Alec runs away.

I am, without a shadow of a fucking doubt, the world's all-time greatest loser.

I lean against the door and sink to the floor, curling up with my knees to my chest. Mindlessly, I butt my head against the fake denim of Alec's delivery, groaning deeply with humiliation. You'd really think that after my transformation, I'd have left behind the stupid-minded retard I used to be and have become a fluid, sexy, suave individual who was clever and witty and not at all ridiculous.

But that's be just too _easy_, wouldn't it?

There's another, lighter knock at my door, and I give a drawn, out groan, muffled by the fact that my face is buried in the bundle.

"_Nnnyugggh, g'waaay_!" I moan.

"It's me," Renata says carefully, sounding conflicted between being frightened and laughing her immortal ass off at me. "You okay?"

I grumble profanities as I fumble to my feet and unlock the door _again_. I fling it open, not in the mood for anything besides heavy alchoholism. "Whaddayawant?"

Renata blinks, a small grin playing across her features. "Er, you asked me to come by? You wanted me to do your hair for you before the ball...?"

"Oh. Shit, that's right," I recall, stepping aside to let her in. I drop Ye Olde Mystery Item by the door as she walks inside my room, which is untidy in the extreme for no reason other than I despise cleaning in any way, shape or form.

"Sorry. Place is kind of a mess," I apologise. Renata smiles wryly.

"It's alright. You've been in Santiago's room, right?" She grins. I return the gesture. Santiago is the world's biggest technology freak. His room is littered with computers of every kind, all monitoring something or other. It's how he keeps track of all sortsa shit, like news articles that cut too close for comfort, or security tapes from government buildings, just because he likes to feel like a secret agent. Also, I imagine with all those computers that there are one or two dedicated to porn alone. Cause, y'know...he's Santiago. You can't move an inch in his bedroom without crashin' into a screen of some sort. His floor is almost completely covered in mulicoloured wires. The only evidence that his bedroom is in fact a bedroom is the nondescript double bed and the doors leading to his ensuite and closet.

When I was human, I almost got lost in the damn place.

"Shall we get started?" Renata asks.

"Sure sure," I mumble, distracted by my various silly thoughts.

I sit obediently on my stool, and Renata begins to tug a brush through the dark tumble of my hair.

"How are things with you and...?"

"Ugh," I spit trying to keep still and wanting to bury my head in my hands at the same time. "Do not _even_ ask."

"I haven't heard you two fighting in a while," she notes. The rythymic strokes of the brush are soothing.

"We haven't been fighting," I sigh tiredly. "We haven't been saying very much at all."

"I did expect him to have come around by now, I must admit," she frowns.

"I don't really expect anything from him," I reply dully. At least not anymore I don't.

Renata sighs softly and switches her brush for a comb. "Maybe..." She hesitates, then falls silent.

My brow creases. "Maybe what?"

Renata hedges. "Well...maybe tonight you could...look for someone new."

Heh? Someone new? I didn't even know Alec counted as someone _old_. The very idea of a relationship at the moment makes me feel slightly nausious. But...the feelings I get from this icy tension with Alec are another thing altogether, and in their own way, worse.

"Maybe," I admit, my voice a low grumble of disdain. "Might get Jane off my back."

Renata gives a small laugh. "You know something? I think Jane would be even more insulted if you rejected her twin, than if you decided to get together with him permenantly."

Right...kay... Y'know what? That chick is so freaking twisted in the head that this comes as no surprise to me.

I sigh, deciding to ignore the statement. Better for my own mental health, what little of it there is left. "So, what're you gonna do to my head?"

"You'll see."

"So...I don't get a say in this?"

"None whatsoever."

I'm feeling so downhearted that I've come to accept that being part of the Volturi Guard means being hauled around and fancied up like a doll for viewing. Like a fancy prop in their showcase.

Renata whips my stool around so I can't see into the mirror. She taps one long nail against her lower lip, pondering, looking like the quiet, dorky girl in class who's secretly a mega-genius in disguise.

"Put your dress on first," she says, running to snatch the garment in question from it's hanger in my closet. "That way we won't mess up your hair pulling it on."

"Alright then," I comply, feeling completely drained of energy. I can't wait to get this night of horrors behind me.

Renata emerges with my dress in hand, a frown on her face. "Are you okay, Nyx?"

I shrug. It takes some extreme fucking effort, but I shrug. "Just want to get it over with. Socialising isn't my strongest area of expertise."

Maybe it's my voice, flat as a training bra and verging on complete misery, that deepens Renata's frown. She passes me my dress and turns away to give me some aspect of privacy. Though after my show-and-tell escapade with Corin and Heidi, I'm not all that shy about stripping in front of her.

I pull my sweater over my head and drop it to the ground, not really giving a fuck about adding to the cluster of junk in my room. Unclipping my bra, I discard that too.

"Tonight won't be as bad as you think," Renata sooths – always a voice of ease.

"We'll just see," I mutter, dropping my loose jeans around my ankles and stepping out of them quickly. I raise my arms, slipping the soft fabric of my dress above my head, letting it slip down and cover my body. I've never worn a backless dress before – I've never really had occasion – and so it feels strange to be so exposed. I wriggle uncertainly, straightening the skirts.

"I remember my first ball," Renata sighs. "It was terrifying."

_Oh gee, thanks so fricking much. My confidence = skyrocketing. Really. _"Can you fix the neck for me?"

"Sure," she replies, darting over to where I'm standing, straightening the only thing keeping the dress up and decent. "Well, at first it was terrifying. Then it started to be fun." She smiles, stepping back. "It was a good night, in the end."

I don't bother to reply. Renata and I are very different people. She's quiet and shy, but very sweet and easy to talk to. I am none of the above, kiddies. I tend to make very awkward first impressions. I'm too forward and my mouth babbles without permission – and without thinking. Tis not a pretty sight.

Renata guides me back to the stool, where she immediately begins to scoop handfuls of my long hair up around my head. I begin to protest, but she cuts me off. I'm not keen on having my hair up at the best of times. I like having it down and around my face, like a curtain that I can hide behind. A duck and cover manouvre if need be. I don't know...I guess I feel vulnerable without it's protective shroud.

We're silent for a few minutes while Renata works, hopefully performing some miracle that will make my hair socially acceptable. Then, suddenly, she blows a puff of hair through her lips. I blink.

"What is it?" I ask curiously, twisting my head slightly to glance up at her. Renata straightens my head stubbornly, keeping me still.

"Listen," she sighs, sounding a little stressed. Uh oh. Is there some sort of catastrophic problem with my hair? Ugh, that'd be just about right, wouldn't it? "Some of our guests...well...you're going to hear some things tonight. About Alec."

My body becomes rigid. Well, at least my hair is alright...ish. "Things? What kind of things are we talkin' about?"

"I'm not going to lie and say they're not true," Renata continues. "More than likely, they're more than true. See...around here, we don't exactly have much time or oppertunity for...social engagements."

Hmm. I'm guessing that 'social engagements' is a cutesy term for hardcore banging action. Alrighty then.

"So, when there's an occasion like this one, we tend to take advantage of this fact. I can't guarantee that you'll see any of us for too long tonight. Guests are easily enthralled by our powers and what we do as vampires, and so they're easily taken."

"What you're saying is that...the Volturi have..._groupies_?"

Renata sounds like she could be blushing fiercely right about now. Wow. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The Volturi are the most well-known vampires amongst our kind. Kind of like sadistic celebrities that could cut you into pieces. Huh. I wonder if they've ever given out autographs?

"I suppose so," Renata says, sounding embarrassed. Dawh, she's so cute sometimes.

"So...what's the deal about Alec? What am I going to hear about him?" I feel nervous asking the question, preparing myself for the worst. It comes.

"Well, you've _seen_ him. Cocky and charming and very beautiful. His youth is more of an asset than a hinderance – he plays the role of the innocent boy very well. Women, both your age and older, fall at his feet."

I don't reply, afraid of what will come out of my mouth. Rampant cussing is my bet. Jealousy and misplaced possessiveness pulse through my limbs, and it takes real energy to keep my fists unclenched. My mouth wells with venom, and my teeth glisten – ready to bite.

"He takes advantage of this, and he likes to...play."

I smother a growl. "Play?"

Renata nods, securing my hair atop my head before flicking her fingers out, tugging strands down and away from it. "It's not just senses he enjoys toying with. He'll take a girl up to his bedroom, whisper sweet nothings, promising her the world...take what he wants from her and discard her like she meant nothing. Most of them fall for it, and it takes little more than a cute smile for him to have them like putty, but some are wise to his tricks and don't get too invested in the experience."

"What about the ones that do?" I ask, feeling nausious, less angry.

"They're left brokenhearted, of course," Renata sighs. "Some of them become furious and lash out – they're the ones that will tell you their stories tonight. Others are so upset that we never see them again. Some become desperate and clingy, and they'll go back for more despite the pain of his blatant rejection. And you'd be surprised at the amount that go crying to Jane, begging her to help them with her brother. She has little patience for that, and the girls are often worse off for it..."

I feel a new anger. A different one. I imagine Alec with all these phantom girls, using them for his own pleasures and then discarding them like yesterday's trash when they started to bore him. I don't feel jealous any more. I feel _sad_. Sad for all these girls that Alec has left broken. Sad for me. I know which catagory I fall under – I always went back for more. Even when he hurt me, I crawled back into his arms like a lovesick child. I wonder if he's been laughing behind my back the entire time.

At least he was truthful with me from the beginning – I've always known how little I meant to him. I wonder when I decided to forget this.

Renata heats a curling iron, mouth pursed unhappily. "I shouldn't have told you."

I glance up at her, forcing a less melodramatic expression. "No, I'm glad you did. I needed to know this."

Renata presses her lips together in a tense line, looking uncomfortable. "Just remember this, too – some of these girls are scorned, angry, and they _will_ lie to turn you against him."

I say nothing. I know how girls work – I am one, after all. Girls are balls-out bitches and I know this well. I'm not concieted enough to fall for their fury. I'm tired of being the fool. I refuse to let anyone walk all over me – them _or_ him. Not any more.

Renata pulls a loose strand of my hair and wraps it around the curling iron. I can feel myself set into a grim determination. What the fuck am I _doing_, moping over Alec treating me like shit? What else is new? He's _always_ treated me like shit. When did I decide to get all sensitive about it? I have a new life now, am I going to let him rule this one too?

I repeat vicious encouragement in my head, hoping that my heart is for once, not fool enough to ignore it.

vVv

When Renata is finished with my hair, it looks glorious. An ebony crown piled in soft waves on top of my head, with a couple of delicate strands curled and wafting around my face and back. My bangs have been straightened so that they fall softly over my brow. She's secured my hair with a golden clasp at the back of my head. It looks absolutely fucking fantastic.

Renata looks proud. "It turned out well," she smiles.

I stand, turning to face her. "_You_, darling, are a fucking genius," I grin, throwing my arms around her neck. She laughs.

"Careful! Watch your dress," she giggles.

"Kay, kay," I smile, releasing my stranglehold on her and smoothing down the front of my black dress.

"Right, I need to go and get ready myself. The ball begins in half an hour," she says, urgency filling her voice as she rockets from my room, shutting my door behind her.

I sigh. Half an hour to kill, alone with my irritating thoughs. Fabulous.

I settle down to do my makeup, but it's finished in minutes. Dark grey eyeshadow and liquid eyeliner, mascara, eye pencil, and pale pink lipstick do the job just fine.

Now, time to wait.

...

Ugh.

I glare at the clock on my bedside locker, willing it forward. If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's waiting around on my ass for some shit to happen. I am just far too fucking impatient.

I secure my official Volturi necklace around my throat, playing with the V out of boredom. I ponder the idea of going to Corin's room to chat with her while she gets ready. But knowing her, she'll be wandering around her room stark naked, and that's some shit I just don't need right now. Besides, leaving my room adds to the risk of running into one or more guests, whom have been roaming the halls freely for the past few hours. And I refuse to engage in awkward small talk.

One of many promises that I've made to mysef tonight: No more social interaction than _absolutely_ neccissary.

I wonder if Eleazar will be here. Aro said he was going to be, but people back out of shit. I'd back out of shit right this minute if I had the option. I don't really remember Eleazar all that well. Tall, dark haired, and the fact that he was kind to me. That's about it. Oh, and that freakyshit diet of his that he shares with the Cullens.

The Cullens aren't coming. I think they've had the fill of our craziness for the next few centuries. Not that I really blame them.

I sit on the edge of my bed, sighing deeply. I've officially run out of semi-interesting thoughts that don't revolve around _him_, and I've got fifteen minutes left.

I eye my door, wondering how much junk I'd have to pile in front of it to keep a vampire from busting in. Probably more than I've got in this room. Not enough to enable me to hide up here for the next couple hundred years without being dragged out by my hair.

Oh sigh. Woe is me.

My eyes flicker down to the right hand side of the door, where the object Alec gave me was dropped. My brows furrow at the army-green bundle of denim. A vague sense of recognition sets up home. I walk over and snatch it up, holding it in curious hands. I hold it at arms length, and I realise that it's a bag. A one-strapped shoulder bag with various pockets and pouches, stuffed with mysterious goodies. It's _my_ bag.

I hold the fabric to my nose and inhale. There's the scent of dust, Alec's room, Alec's hands, plastic, a metal of some kind, some more unidentifiable scents, and the sweet, slightly musky, aged scent of a human. My own hands.

I walk back to my bed and sit cross-legged on the mattress, the bag in my lap. I ease the zip across, being as careful as a careful thing, being sure not to break it. Swallowing deeply, my hands rummage inside.

I come up trumps with a small silver pouch, full of old makeup. My scent is all over these. I grin slightly at the difference between the colour of the foundation and the colour of my new skin. My next discovery is a small plastic dohickey. It takes a moment for me to realise that this is my old inhaler, from when I actually _needed_ my breaths.

I twist the inhaler in my fingers, feeling a strange wave of sadness. It smells strongly of me, and also of Alec. My throat tightens with strange ghosts of memories – familliar, but I can't make sense of them. The idea of being lost for breath is confusing to me now, and yet this strange little thing was the barrier between life and death for me several times over. That thought is a little chilling, and I place the inhaler aside. I know I'll keep it. And not just because I'm a shameless hoarder who feels bad chucking anything out.

I come up with a few more items; a faded, crinkled and damp plane ticket; a passport with all my details and a picture that makes me cringe ( jeez, I _really_ don't photograph well) ; a tiny notebook with a few doodles and scribbles in my scrawled handwriting; a bashed-about mp3 player with a lot of familliar, comforting music. This, too, is a keeper.

The last item brings with it a hurricane of emotions that I am not prepared for. A sharp pain in my chest makes me cringe, my face twisting in pain.

It's a silver photo frame, cool in my hands, a little scratched up from being bashed about in the bag. There's a photo of me inside, and beside me is a woman. A small woman around my height with soft silver curls and a sweet smile. Gentle eyes that reflect warmth and love and security and...family.

My throat dries painfully and venom wells in my eyes as I recognise the woman. It's obvious to me, my memories and blind fucking martians that this is my grandmother. The one who died.

Well shit. It's times like this I wish I could still cry.

I turn the frame over, cradling it against my chest, not caring that I'm getting my dress covered in dust. Then, I notice something.

The back of the frame, the removable piece, is bulging very slightly. As a human, I wouldn't have noticed it.

Unthinkingly, I open the frame with the utmost care. As soon as I dislodge it, a folded, crumpled piece of paper flutters out and lands in my lap.

I blink, confused. The page is folded into quarters and has tiny, curly handwriting scribbled all over one side. I unfurl it gently, fingers trembling. I recognise it instantly.

_My darling Phoenix,_

_You're reading this letter, which means that I have passed. I'm so sorry that I never told you my cancer was terminal, but one of the two of us needed to stay strong, and you and I both know that I've never been very good at that._

_As I was the last remaining member of your family, I worry that the State will deposit you into the Foster system. I know this terrifies you. When you came to me as a little girl, I promised you that you would never be afraid again, and I am determined to abide by this promise._

_As is obvious, I leave my whole estate to you, which admittedly, is not much. I have had it removed from my bank account and it is now in a safety deposit box which will be delivered to you_ _at my death._

_I have your travel details stored in the desk in my bedroom. My friend Charlotte is expecting you. I wrote to her and told her about our situation after the doctor spoke to me that first time. She lives alone in Rome, Italy, and agreed easily to take you in until you are old enough to fend for yourself. She will recieve notice upon my death and will know to expect you within the week. I have already pre-ordered a season ticket for you, which is inside your passport._

_Italy is a wonderful country, and I know you can make a new life for yourself there. Go to school, find your calling, fall in love, and live._

_I love you always._

vVv

The silence in the room is painful. I don't know how long I sit there, face blank, staring at nothing, photograph cradled to my front. My empty visage is interrupted by a knock to my door.

I apply my poker face with perfection, and answer the door with an aura that I hope doesn't make me appear that I'm being crushed from the inside out.

Demetri stands there, looking tall and fancy-ass in a sleek black tux, Volturi necklace proudly displayed.

"Ready to go? They're waiting for us down there," he says, beckoning me to come.

I sigh heavily an step out of my room. "Alright. Last minute excuses: I'm camera shy."

"Santiago will be the only person with a camera."

"I'm feeling extra bitey this evening."

"There'll be blood down there."

"I will get absolutely shitfaced drunk."

"Good luck with that."

"I have gonorrhea?"

"Ha! Nice try," he reaches behind me and shuts my bedroom door, gripping my arm and leading me down the hall.

"Aids?"

"You'll live," he says.

"Hmm. Syphilis!"

"Where, praytell, did you _get_ all these terrible STD's?"

"You don't wanna know, man. Measles?"

"As long as you're not infectuous, I think we'll be alright. Now suck it up, pin a smile on your face and let's get this over with."

"I hear that," I mutter. "But, er, vampires _can_ get drunk, right? _Right_?"

vVv

It's just as horrendus as I imagined. Fucking _worse_, even.

The room is absolutely stuffed to the brim with vampires. There's orchesteral dance music coming from various speakers that Santiago has set up. There are several tables full of crystal glasses and a huge crystal fountain set up on one big table, spilling human blood. My eyes go wide.

The centre of the hall is filled by vampire pairs dancing , spinning around gracefully. A completely terrifying thought occurs to me, and I grip Demetri's arm in panic.

"Demetri, I can't fucking dance!"

"It's alright," he says, trying to pry my fist off his fancy jacket. "Dancing is like fighting – it comes naturally to us. Just _relax_."

I'm far from oblivious to the intense stares we're getting from complete strangers.

Oh shit. Help me _God_. Some of them are making their way over to us. Two males and a female. Shit. Shit. _Shit_!"

"Demetri!" One of the males, probably the leader of their little coven, greets my Mentor with recognition. Demetri shakes his hand with a genuine smile on his face.

"Andre! Good to see you again," Demetri laughs. "Jean, Franc, how have you been?"

They both tear their eyes from me to reply to Demetri. To say I'm relieved would be an understatement. "Very fine," Franc replies, his voice deep and warm. Jean flips blonde curls over her shoulders, her expression flirtatious.

"We've been waiting for your next event," she purrs, hands on her slim hips. "We do _love_ Volterra."

Whoa oh. Where's Heidi? She shan't be too happy to see somebody hitting on Demetri.

"Who's this, then?" Franc finally breaks the ice. All three pairs of eyes fall to me.

Demetri elbowing me lightly gives me the indication that he won't be doing me a favour and answering for me.

God, he fucking sucks.

"I'm Phoenix," I say, keeping it short so I won't blurt out anything _particularily_ ridiculous.

"What is your gift?" Andre asks curiosly. "It must really be something to earn you a place in the Elete."

I swallow deeply, deciding to channel Aro and explain it the way he does. "Mind control," I answer, my voice reassuringly steady. "I can take ahold of your mind, influence your motor functions, your speech, and your gift if you have one..."

I glance up at Demetri, who nods in approval. Phew, this is going a lot smoother than I expected.

"Fascinating!" Franc exclaims enthusiastically. I eye him sceptically, wondering if he's making fun of me, sending me up. He's looking at me earnestly. He looks genuinely interested. I relax slightly.

"How old are you?" Jean asks.

"Sixteen," I reply.

"Chronologically, she's sixteen," Demetri intervenes. "As a vampire, she's only a few months old."

"I thought her eyes were a little bright," Andre smiles.

"You have remarkable control," Jean muses.

I grin. _Wow, you wouldn't think so if you lived here!_

"Thank you," I reply, throwing Demetri a smug, pointed look. He rolls his eyes at me.

"I guess Aro thinks that the talented ones are all better off youngsters," Franc says, and his companions laugh. I frown.

"Demetri! Come over here, my dear," Aro calls from across the room, waving us over. He, Caius and Marcus are talking to a couple of vampires. By which I mean Caius and Aro are talking, and Marcus looks ready for a nap.

Demetri turns back to the coven, smiling apologetically. "We'll have to catch up with you later."

"Of course," Andre replies, nodding understandingly.

Jean places a manicured hand on Demetri's arm. "We'll see you in a while," the hint is heavy in her voice.

When Demetri and I glide through the crowds, I snicker. "_Groupies_."

"What?" Demetri's nose wrinkles.

"Nothing," I reply sweetly.

"Ah, good, good," Aro smiles. "Donna, Elanor, Louis, Parker; this is our newest member, Phoenix."

The four vampires in question stare me down. By the way they're presenting themselves and acting like they don't know eachother, I gather that they're coven leaders. The two males and two females appraise me openly.

"Nice to meet you," one of the women smiles at me. It's the kind of smile that puts me instantly at ease. She's got fluffy brunette hair cropped short, and looks about twenty-something.

"Is she not everything I promised, Donna?" Aro smiles.

"Certainly," she replies.

"I'm sure that my dear Madeline is equally as capable," the second woman replies haughtily. Her expression is a lot less friendly, and I can feel my teeth grit. Demetri squeezes my arm, a reminder to behave.

Cha, _kay_.

"Hardly," Caius scoffs. "It would be like comparing a lioness to a domesticated kitten."

I blink. Did Caius just call me a lioness? Was that...dare I even _think_ it...a compliment?

Ladies and gents, the world HAS stopped turning.

"Now Caius," Aro chides, looking amused. "You mustn't speak to our guests so. Pride in one's offspring is only natural! You know that Madeline is a fine girl, and graciously gifted at that."

Elanor glowers down at me again. I can guess that she sired a girl, tried to get her accepted into the Volturi Guard for whatever reason, and failed.

The small talk continues. Caius continues to act smug about me. I decide to wallow in it for once, letting him show off about me. I'll turn it around on him later on.

"When did you sire Phoenix, Aro?" Louis asks. Another question about my age. Jeez, why is that so important?

Aro looks uncomfortable. Whoopsies! Guess the fact that I'm Vladmir's fuck-up isn't common knowledge. I decide to get a teensy bit of revenge for the fact that I'm being forced to attend this monstrosity of a social event.

"He didn't," I reply. All eyes turn to me. Four pairs curious, three horrorstruck, and one uninterested as usual. My voice becomes more cheerful. "I was an accident."

"Is that so?" Louis replies, sounding entertained. Demetri's grip on my arm tightens, and he gives a nervous laugh.

"Quiet now," he hisses in my ear, through his teeth.

"Ow, you're hurting my arm," I reply in the same fashion, still smiling. Parker, Louis and Donna look only delighted with out banter.

Aro decides that it's time to kick me out of the conversation. "Phoenix, dear, why don't you go and get a drink?" He says, voice still pleasent. I wonder what eternal tortures he's a-cookin' up for me inside that genius noggin of his.

"Sure thing," I say brightly, wandering off to sate my thirst. I duck and dive between dancing vampires, noting how Santiago's artificial strobe lighting gives their white skin a lovely glow. I bypass Felix and Renata, who are dancing together. I boggle at them. Christ almighty, when did Felix learn to dance? The hulk of a vampire looks incredibly graceful – and Renata looks stunning in a green silk dress and black wrap. More than a few pairs of eyes are quite openly eye-fucking the two of them.

Felix spots me staring at them and throws me a secret wink. This is clearly a setup to up the number of Groupie Lovin' they'll get tonight. I shake my head at him, grinning, and mosey on over to the blood fountain that could _only_ have popped out of a Stephen King novel.

Suddenly, an unexpected arm catches me around the waist and I'm whipped into someone's grasp. Before I can react with some overdue violence, Santiago exclaims "surprise!"

"Man!" I gasp. "You scared the ever holy shit outta me!"

He laughs, gripping my hand in his and placing his other hand on my waist. "Shall we, m'lady?"

"Lady," I scoff. "There's only one lady here, pal, and it sure as hell ain't me!"

So I dance with Santiago. He whirls us around gracefully, taking the lead. And I miraculously manage to _not_ trip and fall headlong over my own feet.

"So, how are you finding it?" Santiago asks, dipping me as the music demands and grinning when I bob back up again with a look of utter shock on my face.

" 'Tis alright," I shrug. I glance around the room, and Santiago has to manouvre us carefully to stop a collision on the dancefloor as we almost crash into another couple. "Certainly not the holocaust that I was expecting. But there are a _lot_ ov vampires here."

"Over two hundred," Santiago grins. "Plenty to go 'round." He winks.

I begin to retort when the music changes, and a song I recognise begins to play.

"Heidi's going to kill me," Santiago says gleefully. "I screwed up her playlist. Added some of _my_ songs to the list to liven the thing up."

"Nice," I chuckle appreciatively – I respect any kind of menace and mayhem. But Santiago has remixed the newfangled music selection so that it's still appropriate for dancing.

When this song ends, somebody taps Santiago on the shoulder. It's Heidi, a smile as fake as Pamela Anderson's tits plastered on her face.

"Santi? A _word_?"

Oops. Oh well, he'll live.

He won't.

Santiago's eyes widen into circles as Heidi rounds on him (the clingy scarlet dress she's wearing is attracting a lot of attention. Looks like Demetri's gonna have his work cut out for him tonight!), and I smirk.

"Whelp! Enjoy public violence though I might, I'm thirsty. Catch you guys later," I announce as I make my second attempt towards the fountain. Man, my throat is fucking burning! With all the preparation, Heidi hasn't had time to reel in any food.

There are a couple of vampires clustered around the table, draining glassfuls of delicious redness. I snatch my own glass and hold it under the thick, syrupy downpour. Most of them stare at me as I tip the glass against my lips, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity and _not_ swallow the glass whole. It's difficult, and I have to concentrate. This is why the vampire who tries to catch my attention has to clear his throat twice.

"Hungh? Oh, shit, sorry," I babble, embarrassed. I force myself to place my glass down, the tip of my tongue swiping up a stray droplet on my lips.

"It's alright," a perfect British accent drawls. Fuck me, I _like_ those accents. "I remember how difficult the newborn phase can be."

The glorious voice belongs to a male vampire. He's about eighteen or nineteen, physically, and he easily clears six foot. He's dressed in sleek black like the majority of the males here, but it fits him wonderfully. He's beautiful, obviously. Blonde, with a pretty face and a good build.

He's fucking _hot shit_!

"You're Phoenix, aren't you?" He smiles, his eyes crinkling slightly.

"That's me," I reply, smiling in return. Yay for not sounding like an immediate moron! "So. You've heard of me. Do I get to know your name?"

"It's Blaine," he chuckles. Wow. Now _there's_ a name that I would have no problem screaming! "And yes, I _have_ heard of you. You're quite a hot topic in the vampire world at the moment. In fact, I think a lot of the guests came here tonight just to get a look at you."

Well, he sure knows how to flatter a girl. "Really?" I ask, stupified. He nods, still smiling that gorgeously sexified smile.

"Rumours travel fast," he grins. "Is it true that you beheaded Vladimir?"

"Oh," I laugh. "Er, yeah...that one's true. Didn't burn him, though. Didn't have the time."

"Sounds like you're living one exciting life," Blaine says, looking impressed.

I shrug. There's an understatement. "Well, the Volturi keep me on my toes, I'll give them that," I mutter.

He laughs again. "Maybe you could tell me about it."

"Maybe I could," I smile mysteriously. "But if I told you, I'm pretty sure that I'd have to kill you."

"Perhaps I shouldn't risk it then," he jokes. "Would you like to dance?"

_Oh, yes please_!

"I don't think so," a new voice growls, appearing from nowhere. I jump violently as Alec materializes behind me, teeth bared and looking mega-pissed. He reaches out and grips my wrist in his hand, tugging me to his side.

"You might want to move along," Alec snarls. Blaine looks a little surprised. His eyes flare for a moment before his face smooths out.

I'm too outraged to say anything. My jaw is completely slacked, my eyes wide with disbelief.

"Of course," Blaine says coolly. I have to cringe a tiny bit at the sound of his voice. He's talking to Alec like he's a child in a tantrum. "I meant you no offence."

With another quick smile for my benefit and a dip of his beautiful blonde head, he turns and disappears amongst the crowds.

I yank my wrist furiously out of Alec's grasp. He seems unfazed by my actions, but still a little irritated.

"What is it with you and blondes?" He complains.

I choke, feeling myself shake with rage. "So. Making my life a complete misery is an _occupation_ for you now, isn't it?" I snarl. "How _dare_ you? Who are you to decide who I can and can't talk to?"

"You're making a scene," he says calmly.

"_I don't care_," I hiss.

"Come on," he grabs me again – my hand this time – and hauls me onto the dancefloor. "Let's have a civilised conversation."

"Yes, because we have _so_ many of those," I retort, but I allow him to swing me into a dance. Another song starts up.

"_But you didn't have to cut me off!_

_Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing,_

_And I don't even NEED your love, but you treat me like a stranger and it feels so rough._

_No you didn't have to stoop so low,_

_Have your friends collect your records and then change your number._

_I guess that I don't need that though._

_Now you're just somebody that I used to know..."_

"I hate Santiago's playlist," Alec mutters, more to himself than to me.

There are a few beats of an awkward silence as we whirl together in time to the music. Alec speaks again. "You shouldn't talk to him."

"Excuse me?"

"Blaine. You shouldn't talk to him."

"And why not?"

Alec stares me in the eye. "I've known him for years. He's fucked the better half of our female guard, including my sister," Alec's expression switches to one of acute disgust. "So just _don't_, okay? I don't want you to become another notch on his bedpost."

And just is just so hypocritical that I just have to laugh. Alec looks at me in surprise. I'm sure he's pictured a few reactions – this might not have made his top five. My laugh is harsh, not humerous, and his body tenses as he picks up on it.

"Oh, _look_ who's talking," I bite, eyes narrowed. "Y'know, I don't know what's funnier: you talking to me properly for the first time in weeks to tell me not to do what – or _who_ I want, or you playing the whole innocent card."

Before Alec can reply, I cut him off with a low hiss. "But I've heard you're good at that."

Alec freezes as my meaning hits home, and our dance stops abruptly. Luckily, people are beginning to switch partners and we don't attract too much attention.

"Who have you been talking to? What have you heard?" He demands, his voice fierce. However, he can't mask the panic in his face and I sneer.

"The fact that you _know_ there's something to be heard is proof enough," I snap, pushing myself away from him and walking off the dance floor to find more pleasent company. He doesn't follow.

**OUCH. Rejection. Still, that's what you get for being a man whore. Tut tut. The rest of the Ball is to come.**


	26. You Give Love A Bad Name

**I love all my reviewers, I seriously do! Even the flamers, because gosh you guys crack me up! Feel free to keep on flaming, coz it ups my review numbers and makes me laugh xD So this chapter is dedicated to my one anonymous flamer for lifting my spirits and prompting me to start writing again immediately ^_^**

**And I adore when somebody actually gets exactly what I was trying to portray. Makes me feel acomplished ^^ So a shout out to Kishara-Hime for hitting the nail on the head with her review. Hope you feel better soon! :D**

_Shot through the heart,_

_And you're to blame,_

_Darling you give love, a bad name,_

_I've played my part, and you've played your games,_

_Darling you give love, a bad name..._

I break through the crowds, deciding to hunt down some serious Corin-company. My spirits are in need of a serious boost right now, and I can gather that she's just the girl to do it.

I try to shake off the feeling of being pissed off. My eyes swerve around the room, and any time I catch sight of a girl around my own age, I have to wonder how many times Alec has fucked her, if she fell for him, if she was hurt.

I feel a hot shiver of rage ripple down my spine, and I have to grit my teeth to keep from growling. Breathing hard, I grab fistfuls of my skirts to stop from puncing some poor unfortunate bystander.

Eventually, I break free of the dancefloor. The crowds thin considerably, and I can actually identify some faces. Renata's dancing still, but with Afton this time as Felix has magically vanished. Huh. I'm betting he's got some hot little vampire chick up in his room right now.

I give a small shiver. Jeez, those are some images I _do not_ want right now...or ever. Eugh.

I let my eyes rove around the room, inhaling shallowly in hope of catching the scent of a member of my coven. Hell, I'd even take Jane's company at this point. I need to talk to somebody to keep myself sane and my temper enreigned.

Hmm...perhaps dear ol' Janie _wouldn't_ be the best candidate for company, then. My temper tends to flare in her presence more than anything else.

After a few minutes of air-sniffing, I catch Renata's scent and begin to track it across the hall. I'm sure I'm getting more stares than before thanks to my little spat with Alec. I'm sure _that_ provided some nomads with entertainment. Well, the poor bastards don't even have TV's. Guess you gotta give 'em something!

I do find Renata. Pinned against the wall with her tongue down some randomer's throat and a hand wandering cheekily up inside her dress.

I step back, shocked beyond comprehension. My bulging eyes blink rapidly, and I back away. I do not even need this shit right now.

"I need another drink," I mutter, turning on my heel and fleeing like a motherfucker. Jesus. I _knew_ it, I _knew_ ever since Corin told me that juicy little tidbit of information about a certain threesome that underneath that sweet, shy exterior, there was a brazen secret slut!

Shaking my head and laughing weakly, I decide to manouver _around_ the dance floor rather than plough straight through it like a monster truck in a prom dress. Doubt _that_ would be appreciated.

I can't seem to find anybody else. Have they all hooked up already? Gosh, they don't take long, do they? I peer into the bowels of the dance floor in hope of spotting somebody. I do manage to find Chelsea and Afton dancing in the midst of the crowd, looking blissfully happy and completely unaware of anything outside their little bubble. I feel a strange pang in the pit of my stomach. Mild disgust. And a lot more prominant jealously.

Chelsea looks stunning. Her long auburn hair is curled, with several small-ish white flowers entwined in her thick locks. Her dress is deep emerald and snugly fitted, the skirt fared and perfect for dancing. Afton looks very suave in a jet black tuxedo – much the same as every other male in the room. His makes him appear taller, and even in heels, Chelsea can fit her head snugly under his chin. It's sweet...and so sickening that I turn away and go on my quest for another drink. I have a feeling I'll have drunk that fountain dry by the end of the night.

vVv

_I scowl ferociously, glowering down at myself. My light grey shirt has been completely ruined – torn and drenched with viscous red. It's so fresh that my sleeve is dripping precious fluids to the gravel of the alleyway. Well...what little is left of my sleeve._

_There's a dark chuckle from behind me, and I turn to see Alec approaching now that I've finished my meal. The only evidence that he's fed is the bright glow of his newly red eyes. The rest of him is as spotless as ever._

_And that it _really_ fucking annoying._

"_You couldn't get even a _little_ fucking dirty, could you?" I scowl. Alec grins. I have to admit, I love when he grins like that. Not only does it make my chest do silly things, but it makes him look like such a boy – almost an ordinary teenager._

"_I can get dirty," his grin turns to a smirk and, fighting my own smirk, I punch him in his stomach. Despite my being stronger than him and all, it doesn't seem to throw him and he simply laughs at me, grabs my arm, twists it over my head and spins me around, pinning my back against his chest. When he pulls his hand away from my arm, it's wet with cold blood. My eyes zero in on the red staining and I have to remind myself that randomly licking somebody's hand is not socially acceptable._

_Thankfully, he starts kissing my neck and I purr, tipping my head to give him more access. He begins to suck on my flesh, and his fingers slip into the gaps between the buttons of my shirt. In one swift move, he wrenches my shirt open. I gasp, jumping a little under his lips. I feel his teeth begin to nip, his tongue flicking teasingly. My nails scrape along his arms. He peels my shirt off my shoulders and tosses it aside. I don't care – it's ruined anyway._

_He pulls away from me for a moment, and I instantly miss the feeling of his mouth on me. God, the things that fucking mouth can do..._

_I hear the zip of his leather jacket opening, and my smile widens, my tongue flicking out to catch some leftover blood on the corner of my mouth. I wonder what he's got planned. These buildings either side of us seem flimsy. I doubt they could stand up to him taking me against the walls. We'll have to be quiet. It might be nighttime and so black out that we wouldn't be seen...but human ears can be sensitive in their sleep. We might wake half the neighbourhood._

_We're not in Volterra, since hunting there is illegal. But Aro insisted that I be taught to hunt properly. I won't always have my meals delivered to me. So Alec was allowed to take me out of town for a midnight snack. Demetri was meant to take me, but after an incident with Sandrine he asked to stay home and help Heidi with her little monster. Heidi's worried. Sandrine's managed to earn disapproval from some of the Guard, including Chelsea and Afton. Having Chelsea on your bad side was never ever a good idea. She's close to the throne, I know that much, but there's something about her quiet confidence that sometimes makes me think she's got just as much say over certain Volturi affairs as Marcus or Caius._

_I hear Alec purr (his is much deeper than mine, and a lot sexier. Mine sounds like a chubby kitten's) and I brace myself for whatever comes next. _

_I expect to feel hands on me, but instead I start in surprise as supple leather is dropped over my shoulders. Alec eases my slack arms into the sleeves and zips up the front in under a second, before I can protest. He stands back, folding his arms smugly._

_I spin around, a look of uber what-the-fuckery on my face. _

"_What?" Alec asks, his face the picture of innocence. Then he tilts his head to the side and tuts, holding his hands on his hips. "Now Phoenix, not everything is about sex, you know."_

_My eyes pop in disbelief. "Look who's talking! Then how come you took my shirt off?"_

"_Your shirt was destroyed. And what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't offer you my jacket?"_

_I snort. Gentleman. _Right. _Kay. If Alec's a gentleman, then I'm the queen of fucking feather dusters._

"_You are not a gentleman."_

_Alec feigns shock and hurt, looking like a wounded puppy. I don't fall for it. My eyes narrow, and he gives up._

"_Of course I am. You don't live with the Volturi for as long as I have without picking up on a thing or two." He begins to roll up the sleeves of his jacket, seeing as it's far too big for me and my fingers seem to have disappeared altogether._

_Alec ponders, before taking the off-gold zip between his fingers and easing it down until I'm showing a decent amount of cleavage. I smirk. Not everything is about sex, huh?_

"_Besides," Alec says lazily, taking his thumb and drawing it slowly across my bloodied chin. He places his thumb in his mouth and his eyes slide shut. My breath catches. "Perhaps I'm hoping that you'll reward me for my chivalry when we get home."_

_His eyes open again and his boyish grin returns._

"_Perhaps," I reply nonchalantly, permitting a tiny grin upon my own face as I step out of the alleyway. Alec quickly arranges the corpses within so it looks like an extremely complicated accident. He follows me out, his hand against the small of my back as he leads me into a more populated area of the town._

"_I hope you're not full," Alec says, tilting my head in the direction of a nightclub. Five pale-skinned human females emerge from the building, laughing loudly and stumbling over their heels. Even from this distance, I can smell the alchohol on them. They're tourists in short dresses and fake tan. They're fresh out of college, I guess taking a trip before they continue on into the big bad world to hunt down careers and potential spouses._

_They won't have to worry about that again._

"_I found us the main course," Alec whispers deviously, placing a light kiss on the corner of my mouth. We move forward._

vVv

"Hey, you," a female voice calls. I turn around again, frowning.

"Hey me?"

"Yeah...you're Phoenix, aren't you?"

This girl is about nineteen or twenty. Her hair is black, like mine, but _so_ black that it's almost blue. It's much shorter, too, and dead straight. She's only an inch or more taller than I am, but she's not wearing heels. She's got cute flats that go with her simple cream cotton dress. I can tell she's a nomad, and that she's got hundreds of years on me. Her lashes are extremely thick and coal black, surrounding pretty eyes. Her lips and face are kinda thin, but she is very beautiful.

"Yeah, I am. And who might you be?"

She steps closer to me, tucking her hair behind her ears. "My name is Veronica. You're new to the Volturi?"

I shrug, not relaxing the automatically tense position my body curls into upon instinct. "I've been around a while."

She nods, not really caring. "Can we talk?"

"No."

She blinks, surprised by my immediate dismissal. "Why not?"

I sigh deeply, and I lift my hands to rake my fingers through my hair in frustration. I quickly think the better of it once I realise that Renata would kill me for messing up her artwork, so I fold my arms instead.

"Because, I already _know_ what you want to talk to me about. And to be perfectly honest, I ain't in the mood to hear it, sweetheart."

Veronica's expression becomes one of pity. "The fact that you know what I want to talk to you about just proves that we _need_ to talk."

I hesitate, torn. Do I want to hear what she has to say? Or should I just turn away nw and save myself the pain and anger?

"I saw you with Alec earlier," Veronica persists.

"Did you now?" I reply coolly, determined to keep my poker face.

"I saw you arguing," she admits. "Are you two together?"

Uh oh. _This _question. "Er, no," I reply, not really sure why I suddenly feel so embarrassed.

Veronica's face hardens. "Good. You shouldn't be."

I settle my weight on one hip, unimpressed by her bluntness. "And why not?"

"Come now, Phoenix," she says, looking uncomfortable. My narrowing eyes show just how unhappy I am with that little display of familliarity.

If there's only one thing I've learned from Jane, it's that someone little can intimidate big bitches and get away with it when they have to.

"Did I say you could call me by my name?" I ask, mimiking Jane's I'm-bored-of-you-now-so-I-think-I'll-hurt-you voice. It's kinda scary. Always freaks _me_ the fuck out.

Veronica manages to keep her expression mostly blank, but I can see just how appalled she is. She edges back the smallest step. "I just want to help you."

"_Help_ me?"

Veronica nods, her head bobbing quickly. "I've seen Alec hurt a lot of girls," she says, poising herself to leap out of my way if she has to. "And I mean...you're so _young_ to this life...I don't think you should..."

Truth be told, I'm almost having fun watching her squirm. I'm so used to being inferior to everyone here. It's nice to be able to to have one up on someone else for once.

She clears her throat unneccisarily, rubbing her arm nervously. "It was about three hundred years ago when I first met him," Veronica begins her tale. I keep my expression uninterested, but my curiosity is peaked.

"I was only about five years a vampire, and my creator told me that I should go to Volterra to learn the ways of the world, and what rules I had to follow. But when I _did_ arrive here, they were having one of these things," Veronica waves her arms in indication. "A Ball or a Gala or whatever they called it back then. I was terrified by the sheer amount of vampires and turned to flee. Alec caught me as I went to leave. Being new to this life, I'd never heard of him. Well, I'd heard rumors about the Witch Twins, of course, but I only knew him as Alec and he introduced himself as Aleksander."

Veronica looks embarrassed. "I knew he was a couple of years younger than me...but he was so open and friendly and I was surprised when he told me he was a Volturi member. He seemed so sweet and shy."

My expression of disgust is mirrored on Veronica's face, and I realise my faux-pas right away – she knows she's got my attention now.

"He was also pretty and charming and he had me at ease. He personally introduced me to Aro and Aro appeared only delighted with him. Aro told me to stay a few days. Aleksander would educate me on the laws before I went on my way. I realised something afterwards that I didn't really take into account then – before Alec had made introductions, he'd taken Aro's hand. Aro knew what he was up to and was all right with it. Alec was far too precious for Aro to turn a hair at his doings. I learned quickly that Alec was Aro's dear pet."

I flinch at the word.

"Alec enticed me with sweet words, gentle smiles, and I was putty in his hands," she sighed. "We had sex several times before he got bored of me. I was so shocked by his change in attitude. The way he spoke to me and looked at me. Like I was an irritating child begging to be played with. That's what he said." She swallows deeply, staring me in the face. "He said he was tired of playing with me. He said a lot more too, but I don't really feel like repeating that.

"The rest of the Volturi were unsympathetic. I got the feeling that they were all the same. They looked at me like I was nothing but a cheap whore, and Corin and Jane glared at me like they wanted to kill me. I was so upset that I fled Volterra. I contemplated feeding in the city to tick them off, but even after what Alec had done to me, I didn't want to die. I went my own way. But rumors reached me about Alec Volturi and his promiscuous ways and I finally made the connection that Alec and Aleksander were the same person."

Veronica doesn't look bitter. She looks ashamed.

"If it was so terrible for you here...then why did you come back?" I ask, baffled to her reasons for returning.

"I come here every time they have a party," she smiles wryly. "To show them just how little it effected me. Plus, I've made some good friends among the guests. It's nice to be able to see them in a civilised setting."

My shoulders rise and drop in another shrug. I'm ready to leave her now – I've heard enough. But then she starts talking again, interrupting my exit.

"I heard about and from other girls that he's been with. It was slightly different for each of them. It's like Alec has a sixth sense for what a girl is feeling, what she wants. For the girls looking for a thrill, he plays the perfect bad boy. To the nervous, unsure girls like I was, he's gentle and sweet. He can be intelligent, naive, innocent, experienced, rough, gentle. His roles are endless. I don't think any woman has ever seen his true self."

She eyes me then, scathingly. "Have you?"

My shoulders have slumped and a feeling of illness spreads in my stomach. No, I haven't. At least, I don't think I have.

I straighten up, my mouth set in a firm line, eyes solid. "Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself," I snap, bumping her shoulder roughly with mine as I storm past her, more pissed off than ever.

vVv

I can't stop picturing Alec with these countless women. I feel like I don't have enough energy to be mad. I'm just tired. I'm _especially_ tired when even more young women stop me and launch into devestatingly long speeches about what a bastard Alec is and how he's only ever wanted one thing from girls and how I should watch myself around him because he'll only end up hurting me.

_Too fucking late_.

Now I'm _really _ surprised when a vampire in her late thirties starts the routine. I let her rant at me, the whole time blinking up at her in disbelief. Jeez...I mean sure she's beautiful...and Alec _does_ like all kinds of women, but she's all _old_. It's kinda creepy. She's old enough to be his mom!

But the ones I get the most shocked over – and the most laughs out of – are his diehard fangirls. Yeah, Alec has fangirls! Seriously deranged, in need of therapy fangirls who are all devoted to him in spite of how he treated them. They're so besotted that they've chosen to completely overlook the fact that there are tonnes of eachother and tonnes more brokenhearted one-night-stands in the room.

They didn't seem to appreciate my laughing in their faces, but God, it was just too damn hard not to.

These girls don't warn me not to get hurt. They threaten to hurt me themselves if I ever think of touching their darling/baby/sweetheart/honeypie/angel ever again.

And the fact that I can picture _exactly_ what Alec's expression would be if he ever heard this bullshit does not help my keeping a straight face. And I thought that _I_ was dumb for trusting Alec! These girls need a major reality check. Or a punch in the face to knock their brains back into place. However, I think if I cause a huge catfight in the middle of Aro's party, I'll be locked in the dungeons till I'm a hundred. Public fisticuffs are a no-no.

These freaks only entertain me for so long, and then I slip back into mope-mode, preparing to sulk my way throught the rest of this catastrophe of an evening. At least these bitches have helped me kill some time.

"Phoenix!" A familliar voice calls, and I groan as Demetri catches my shoulder, whipping me around to face him.

"Where on earth have you been? Aro's been looking for you!"

"Aro told me to get lost," I grumble, pondering my chances of giving Demetri the slip. _Somehow_, they don't seem very fucking likely.

"Well, he wants you now. I think he wants you to give a demonstration of your gift," Demetri says, dragging me along. "He also wants to check that you've acually been talking to people and not just hiding in the corner." Demetri smirks, thinking that this is just what I've been doing. Honestly, it's what I had _planned_ on doing.

"I _have_ been talking to people, actually," I snap, more venom in my voice than I meant. Demetri pauses, gauging my hostility. I guess he's worried that I'm gonna throw a hairy balls-out fit in the middle of the crowd. I won't. I don't have the energy.

Then Demetri's gaze slips sideways, and I follow it curiously. I catch sight of Penelope – one of Alec's sluts who gave me a particularily visual threat. She glares hotly at me, a sneer twisting her pretty mouth.

I return the gesture, a growl tingling in my throat, venom pooling on my tongue. I think I've been pretty good this evening. I mean, I _could_ have beheaded more than my fair share of floozies and used my newborn instincts as an excuse, but I didn't. Maybe I deserve a little lapse in temper...

However, I'm surprised when Demetri gives a growl of his own, much deeper and more impressive than mine. Penelope moves away grudgingly, teeth still bared a little. Wise of her. Taking on a newborn is one thing, but pissing off an experienced, vicious member of the Volturi is as good as a deathwish.

Demetri faces me again, a look of disgust on his face. For once, to my amazement, it's not directed at me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone," he apologises. "Have...have you met many of them?"

"You mean Alec's whores?" I answer dully, not in the mood for Demetri's pity. "Yeah, we had a grand ol' time."

Demetri looks sympathetic, which only ups my misery. I don't want pity. I want to take the high road and just override this. I'm not gonna pull an Alec and kill off the competition.

I stop my thoughts in their very awkward tracks. Competition? There _is_ no competition, because I'm sure as fuck not competing for anything.

_Then how come I feel ever so slightly sick at the thought of giving him up to them?_

"Come on," Demetri says, his voice infuriatingly gentle. "Let's go find Aro."

Suddenly, Aro's haywire attitude seems a whole hell lot more inviting than conversation with anybody else. So I let Demetri guide me away. At least I know with him, he knws the fastest way to get us there.

"Oh, Demetri!" Somebody calls, freezing our retreat.

Fuck.

Demetri turns at the sound of his name, and I inwardly cringe.

Y'know how you can sometimes tell how a person is by hearing their voice alone? Yeah, I can't usually do this. When I meet someone new, I'm pretty much going in blind.

This voice, however? Well, colour me prejudiced, but I just _instantly_ knew that I was gonna hate the shit out of whoever owned it.

This particular female voice makes me grit my strong new teeth, and I don't know why. The accent is English, and the voice has a sultry undercurrent to it that makes me want to growl. Instead, I practice self-control like a good little newborn and turn when Demetri does, only to come face-to-face with Aphrodite herself.

Fuck, my _actual_ life.

She's about my age. Sixteen, maybe pushing seventeen. She's tall, about an inch or two shorter than Corin. She's got blonde hair too, only hers is so straight that it's almost sharp. It's thick and shiny and longer than mine, swaying like a golden fountain to her curved hips. Her face is a canvas on which big rosy eyes, a straight nose and pouty red lips rest. These eyes are deep red and glittering, framed by thick lashes. Her neck is as delicate as a swan's, and I can tell that she's graceful even as she stands still. Her dress is black like mine, only hers is made from satin and it clings to her curves like a second skin. Mine has no back, but her's barely has a fucking _front_. Her enviable D-cups swell out over the black satin, but she doesn't look trashy. She looks beautiful.

Weeeell, goodbye self-esteem. Nice knowin' ya.

She doesn't come to us, Demetri walks to her, and I'm forced to follow. I try, _really _try to take the sulky look off my face, determined not to let anyone know that her mere prescence effects me.

"Annalise," Demetri greets her, sounding a little less friendly than I imagined he would. I stand as tall as I can manage, glad that these fuck-dumb heels give me a few extra inches.

"Hello there, Demetri," she smiles flirtatiously, and I rip my eyes away from her to scour the room for Heidi. Hopefully Heidi could take her, and I could enjoy watching. I'm pretty sure Demetri would enjoy watching, too!

Demetri doesn't seem very effected by her. In fact, he's giving off a rather obvious 'been there, done her' vibe.

Well whoop de fucking do for him.

She gives him a hug nonetheless. Am I going crazy (or maybe just real fucking petty) or is she pressing her ample chest against him? Huh.

I'm not prepared when her hypnotic eyes cut down to me ( and I do mean _down_, depressingly enough). Her face looses all friendliness and becomes a mask of indifference. "So," she purrs, looking at me like someone who just found out their friend's kid sister is gonna be tagging along on their day out. "Is this Aro's newest...indulgence?"

Thrills of anger pulse through my frame, and I have to fight to keep myself out of a crouch. My arm lifts as my eyes zero in on her throat, and my fist clenches.

Oh bitch, you pissed me off at the wrong fucking time.

She's talking about me like I'm not here. Like I'm some inanimate doll that is so far beneath her she could squish me with her spikey-heeled shoe.

Demetri grips my arm and holds me tight. He and I both know that I could break free if I wanted to, but this does give me enough breathing space to think through my anger, like he'd hoped. I breathe deeply, regaining my cool. I'm not going to let this girl goad me into a fight just so she can own me shamefully and I get my ass kicked by Caius for creating a big scuffuffle of a scene. Because despite my strength and the fact that I _am_ a good enough fighter, she's obviously been around a while and the way she presents herself makes me think she could easily match me if it came down to it.

So I stand still and Demetri relaxes enough to reply to her. "This is Phoenix," he says. "Phoenix, this i-"

"I know her name," I drawl, acting as if this entire exchange is boring me to tears (there might be tears yet – just not from boredom).

Annalise's eyes narrow a little as she smiles, and she straightens her back, arching her bountiful chest higher for the world to see. I suddenly feel like a dwarf, which doesn't grate on my self esteem as much as it does my rage. Just as my lips curl back over my teeth challangingly, Demetri calls out anxiously.

"Corin!"

I'm surprised to spot the white-haired beauty turn at the sound of her name and make her way over to us. I fully expected not to see her at all tonight. I'd envisioned her leading a whole hoard of vamps up to her bedroom for some R-Rated fun.

Corin glides to my other side, and she assesses the situation in no time, slipping her hand into mine and tugging me back a little.

"Take Nyx to get a drink, will you?" Demetri asks wearily.

"Hello again, Corin," Annalise smiles sweetly. Demetri looks like he wants to facepalm, realising his mistake instantly.

Corin doesn't reply. Her face is stony and _pissed_ as she stares Annalise out. Demetri steps between them and gains Corin's attention.

"I'll be there in a moment," he says insistantly, giving Corin a nudge towards the drinks table. Corin decides to be good, for some reason. I'm disappointed. I _know_ Corin could take her.

"Come on, Nyx," Corin says. "Let's go. It's a little too slutty here for my liking."

And with that, Corin whisks me away. Demetri looks exsasperated as we make our exit.

vVv

"Fucking skank," Corin spits as she dips her glass vehemently into the blood and takes a deep swig. I blink.

"I hope that's not me you're talking about."

Corin swallows and shakes her head. "No, of course not. That fucking ratbag that's currently eyefucking Demetri."

I glance back through the scores of vampires and catch sight of the blonde again. Indeed, she looks like she's salivating over the Tracker like there's no fucking tomorrow.

"Kay, I know why _I_ don't like her," I take a deep gulp of my own drink, savouring the fresh relief of warm blood cascading down my throat. "But why do you hate her so much?"

"She is the Ultraslut," Corin bites, jaw set angrily. "And of course, it's not Demetri she's really after. He's just a starter. She's working herself up to the main course."

I feel like screaming. I block off my verbal rage with another deep drink. "_Alec_," I hiss.

"Who else?" Corin rolls her eyes. "She's obsessed with him. And I mean full-on stalkery lovesick _obsessed_ with him."

"There's a lot of that going around," I say, placing my glass down before I break it.

"Ah, you met the skank-brigade," Corin snorts, looking amused. "Yeah, they're pretty bad. But this chick is fucking in love with him. She once killed a girl for sleeping with him."

"Wow," I grumble. "She's a charmer."

"Bad thing: she _is_ a charmer. She could have any man in this room if she wanted to. She's a low-scale seductress. It's her gift. She's a Liason. If Heidi or Chelsea are out of commission and there's no other way to entice somebody specific to Volterra, Aro will call her in. He doesn't do it if he can help it – he doesn't like her.

"Her effect doesn't work if you know she's using it, or if she's used it on you one too many times, you become kind of immune to it. You still feel it, but you can shrug it off easily enough."

"I didn't feel anything," I frown.

"She wasn't using it on you. She doesn't swing that way," Corin grins a little. "I've never felt it either. Apparantly it's like some helpless, balls-dropping lust. She used it on Alec that first time. It's like the tables turned. _She's_ been hooked on _him_ ever since.

"After the first time, when her effect on him wore off, he wanted nothing more to do with her. He told her to fuck off and not to bother him again, but she wasn't having any of it. She wanted him. She's stubborn and pushy, but she didn't manage to trick him back into bed after that one encounter."

I feel a strange sensation of relief that feels as good as it does annoying – there's nothing to be relieved about.

"If she's so into him, then how come she's trying to get into Demetri's pants?" I ask, confused.

Corin shrugs. "Girl's gotta eat." She winks and tips her glass towards me.

vVV

The Volturi seemed to have dropped off the face of the planet. I can't find any of them, anywhere. I wonder about pretending I've hooked up with somebody just so I can escape up to my room for a while, but my room is on the same floor as Santiago's and Heidi's and I really don't want to hear what they're up to. The mere thought of sex right now makes me feel a little nausious.

When yet another hand drops onto my shoulder, I jerk away with a fierce hiss, spinning around to face my next conversation buddy.

"Whoa, whoa," Felix laughs. "It's me. Guess you're having a good time then."

I huff out a growl. "Just fucking super."

"Thought as much," Felix smiles. I take a minute to drink in his appearance with a critical stare. His jacket is buttoned all weirdly, more than one button missing completely. His shirt is in a similar state, with a few subtle rips from some enthusicstic long nails – or teeth. I feel a wave of ick-ness when I spot a similar small tear on the thigh of his pants. Glancing back up to his face in horror, Felix grins like a kid who's stolen his friend's icecream and couldn't give a fuck. "Well, I know something that might cheer you up," he says, diverting my eyes from his ridiculous sex hair.

I allow him to grab my arm and haul my ass through the crowd. "Is it more people?" I groan, knuckling my forehead. "Fuck. Please don't let it be more people, man. Shit like tonight is the reason I do not socialise! I _hate_ people."

"Sorry, Nyx," Felix grins. "It's more people."

This new vampire, I recognise immediately. My memories of him are fuzzy and vague, but his warm smile makes my mouth widen into a huge grin.

"_Eleazar_!" I shriek, throwing myself at him like a fangirl on hyperdrive. Felix and Eleazar both laugh, and Eleazar tightens his arms around me in a hug.

"I'm glad to see you too," Eleazar chuckles.

"Man!" I laugh, shaking my head in amazement. "I forgot you were coming!"

"I arrived last minute," Eleazar smiles. "Carmen took an age to get ready," he says fondly.

I peer around for his wife, but she's nowhere to be seen.

"She's catching up with some friends," Eleazar says, gesturing into the distance. I turn to see the neautiful dark-haired woman chatting animatedly with two women, looking delighted.

"Happy now?" Felix asks, nudging me with his big fist.

"Awh, Felix. You got me a vampire! You shouldn't have."

Felix laughs again, before turning and walking away.

"I'm glad to see you alive and well," Eleazar says, shaking his head with a weak smile.

"I didn't expect it either," I shrug.

"Shall we dance?" Eleazar offers, extending his arm.

"Sure," I reply, and genuine smile on my face for the first time in hours. I wrap my arm around his and he leads me onto the dance floor. Eleazar spins me slowly. I fall into the rythym, stepping in time with his moves easily.

"How have you been?" Eleazar asks, spinning a little faster in time with the music.

"Ahh," I hesitate. "Well, I don't think anyone's ever found being a newborn _easy_," I say, avoiding the deeper part of his question.

"I remember those days," Eleazar shakes his head from side to side, recalling his first year.

"Fun," I drawl sarcastically.

"And Alec?" Eleazar presses. "How are things with him?"

Curses.

"Nah," I say, concentrating on keeping my voice even. "That's...that's nothing, man. We're not even on speaking terms any more."

"Oh," Eleazar says, sounding geniunely surprised. "I'm sorry to hear that."

My nose wrinkles. "Why?" I ask. "I mean...it's not like we ever meant anything to eachother."

It's Eleazar's turn to frown. "Is that so? Hmm. That's not what I've heard..."

I jump as if I've had my ass plugged into a live socket. "What have you heard?"

Christ Almighty. Has gossip _actually _reached as far as Alaska? Now that is upsetting.

I spot mischief in Eleazar's yellow eyes as he shrugs. "It doesn't really matter," he says nonchalantly, eyes dancing. "I mean...Alec means nothing to you. What should you care about petty gossip?"

I scowl. "The gossip is about me. I think I should know."

Eleazar caves all too easily. "I've just been talknig with Marcus. That's all."

My eyes find the ever-silent vampire seated alongside Caius, drinking blood from a goblet with the same expression he always wears.

"Marcus talks?" I ask skeptically.

Eleazar laughs loudly. "Yes! Just not all that often."

"Huh," I say, amused.

Eleazar spins us both, and judging by the awed stares we're getting, he has somehow managed to make me look graceful.

The dance ends eventually. After that, some more vampires ask me to dance, and because Eleazar has put me in a less-than-foul mood, I agree graciously. We make casual chitchat and there are several heavy hints of venturing _upstairs_. I have to stop myself from laughing again – damn, are the Volturi a bunch of sluts or _what_? Part of me now thinks that vampires come here not for the fancy-shit event, but for the perverted sleazes that are the Volturi Guard.

Eleazar dances with Carmen, which is like a tamer, more innocent version of Chelsea and Afton dancing. They twirl happily, laughing and being all couple-y. This time, it's not quite so sickening. Just a little sad.

When I manage to pry myself away from a particularily insistant vampire – my little talent coming in handy for the first time tonight – I walk right off the dance floor, a strange, unpleasent feeling in the empty pit of my chest.

Damn. I need some air.

I spot the glass doors that lead out to the garden and decide to venture out of doors for a while. It's drizzling very lightly outside and it's very hot, and this is enough to keep most of the vampires inside. I've stopped trying to care about the state of my hair and makeup, so I wander outside. The drizzle is light, and it feels nice against my skin. I give a sigh, so thankful to escape the frantic babble of the crowds.

"I was hoping you would come out here."

The deep, gravelly voice makes me jump in shock. I spin to my left and spot Marcus sitting alone in one of the ornate garden seats against the castle wall.

I don't know what to say. I've never spoken to this guy in my lives.

"I gather you are out here for the same reason I am," he continues.

I finally find my grown-up words. "Just trying to escape," I say unsurely.

He nods, dipping his head understandingly. His long off-black hair falls over his shoulders, a little damp. "Events such as these can be overwhelming for me. I cannot imagine how you must feel – so young."

I walk towards him, feeling a little cautious. He makes no move to reach for me or approach me, which I appreciate. I guess after all these many million of years with the Volturi, he knows how newborns work.

"I didn't like people when I was human," I say. "It's not much better now."

I'm pleasently surprised by the earthy chuckle. "I know."

I frown for a moment before I remember. "Oh yeah, you've got that, er," I wriggle my fingers in front of my head. "Sense-y thing."

"Yes, I can sense relationships," he says. He gestures to the space in the seat beside him. "Would you like to sit with me?"

_What the heck?_ I think. _Why not? It's better than going back inside to face that mob_.

So I walk towards the bench slowly and sit beside him, my hands curled like limp puppies in my lap.

Marcus doesn't beat around the bush once he has me armed for conversation. What he says next makes me want to grab a gun and shoot myself – oh, if _only_ that shit were possible!

"Your heart yearns for him," Marcus says, and I almost jump off the bench in shock.

"Huh?" I choke, feeling like he just punched me in the chest. "No. No it doesn't. Huh?"

The expression on Marcus's aged face makes me sad. It's a weak, faint, ghost of a smile. "Are you saying my gift is wrong?"

"Um. Yes?"

Marcus shakes his head, still semi-smiling. "I've been observing your relationship ever since you first arrived. You are a very interesting individual."

"Well, that's one way to put it," I mutter.

"Your relationship with our boy is nothing if not fascinating," Marcus goes on. "I've watched it develop and develop over time."

I can't shake the feeling that my heart has been stalked.

"There's nothing," I say. "Nothing there."

"Yes there is," Marcus insists. "The only difference in your relationship now is that you are resisting it."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

I slump forward, resting my elbows on my knees and my chin on my fists. "Hmmph."

"You risked your life for him," Marcus reminds me. "You died saving his life."

"Their," I correct. "Their lives. I went for all of them."

Marcus shakes his head sadly. "I felt the bond. The pull you felt. You went for him."

Shit.

Marcus gives a small, weak sigh. "Eternity is a long time to be lonely, Phoenix."

I know that. These past weeks have hurt like hell, as if I've been walking around with a sword through my chest.

"My mate was killed," Marcus says after a moment of silence.

My breathing stops. I glance up at Marcus's face. It's stony, but I see it in the curve of his lips, the crinkle of his eyes, the tug of his brow; after all these years, the pain of losing his mate is still so fresh.

"I heard about that," I mumble, feeling uncomfortable. I kinda want to give him a hug, but I doubt that would be appreciated.

He nods again, and this time his head stays down. "Her name was Didyme." He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls from within a golden pocketwatch. "She gave this to me. It's thousands of years old."

This is one of many reasons that I'm surprised when he places it in my hands – _my_ hands! Disasterous and destructive as they are. Cupping it as carefully as I can manage, I pop it open. On one side is a beautiful clock, still ticking, and on the other, a picture of a woman. It's a small, painstakingly drawn sketch in charcoal. It's not smudged, not tarnished, not torn in all these years. The woman is stunning. Long, black hair and a happy smile. Beautiful eyes and slender limbs.

"She's beautiful," I whisper.

Marcus's head rises as I pass him back his treasure. "Yes. She was."

For some reason, my throat tightens and I feel like bawling. I keep it together, tucking my spare curls behind my ears.

"Alec is a good boy," Marcus says, breaking the upset silence. "Despite everything, he is a good boy, and he deserves to have what I had."

I sigh deeply.

"You miss him," Marcus observes.

"Shut up, Master," I mumble. Marcus gives another chuckle. God, this should be grounds for a national holiday.

"You shouldn't be afraid of your feelings," Marcus soothes.

The only response I can muster is a grumble.

"He is terrified," Marcus smiles. "And Phoenix, you needn't fret over those other women in the hall this evening. Alec has never felt anything towards any of them that could even reflect what he feels for you."

My eyes glaze over with tears that won't fall. Marcus gives me an awkward pat on the back before rising, glancing back towards the double doors.

"I should go back inside, before Aro decides to send out the search parties," Marcus clucks his teeth, shaking his head. He seems so...sane? Is that the word? How he puts up with Aro and Caius every day of forever is totally beyond me.

"Heed my words, Phoenix," Marcus says, giving me a parting nod before walking back indoors.

I sigh deeply, deciding to take a long walk in the gardens to clear my head before facing the crowds inside. There's only so much inhuman company I can handle in one night.

I swing my arms free, standing on my balls of my feet and inhaling the night air deeply. I smile, recognising the individual scents of every flower and plant in the garden. The ivy creeping along the castle's surrounding walls. The freesias in neat little lines under the old willow tree. Every tiny daisy scattered at random around the grounds. And Alec.

I blink, whipping my head around. Sniffing again, I take in Alec's mouthwatering scent without bother.

Yeah, it's him alright, somewhere in the garden. I bite down on my lip. Whether my pride will let me admit it or not, I've missed him. And not just the sex (although that's pretty fucking fantastic, and I think that everyone else living within a mile's radius of the castle is kinda glad for the little spat between Alec and I. Apparantly the pleasured screams from his bedroom became altogether too hard to bear after a while), it's everything. Our bickering and the way he laughs at my newborn actions – a real laugh that makes my belly do funny things. The way he has a habit of leaning his head on top of mine when he's bored. His lips.

I grin widely. His lips. Yup, his lips are a defenite factor in me missing him.

My grin droops pretty fucking fast when I realise that a civil word hasn't been spoken between us in almost a fortnight. I sigh. I know all damn well that I'm renowned for my immaturity and pettiness. Maybe it's finally time for me to grow up and be the first to apologise? I mean, sure he's done bad things (and people) in his past, but who _hasn't_ done things they've regretted?

I follow his scent through the cluster of rose bushes, right into the hedge maze. My brow furrow, but I shrug off the question of what on earth posessed him to come in here and continue following his scent.

It isn't very far into the maze (which has become ridiculously simple as a vampire. Why do the Volturi even _have_ this thing?) when I find him.

And then I wish that I fucking didn't.

I smother a choking sound, taking a staggered step back in horror. Alec is not by himself.

Annalise is with him, her hands fisted in his hair as she kisses him senseless. He's kissing her back with gusto, his hands holding her slim waist under his hands. Their bodies are pressed so closely together that their chests are heaving simultainiously with breaths they don't even need.

My stomach flips and I sway slightly. I feel like I might be fucking sick. With one hand over my mouth and one on my stomach, I turn on my heel and flee like the pansy-assed coward I am.

_Don't cry don't cry don't cry._

I stop running just as I reach the glass doors leading back into the dance hall. I lean against the wall and stare up at the brightly lit sky, trying to compose myself. I'm quivering all over, and my throat is dry with more than just thirst.

Swallowing deeply, I stand up straight and turn to walk inside. The hall is alight with the sounds of laughter and enjoyment.

_Ugh_.

I force my hands to grab eachother as I slip quietly through the crowd. I want my room. I want my bed and my TV and my pointless pyjamas. Fuck this ball and every bastard in it! If I wanted friends, I'd be a nice freaking person.

If Aro wants to punish me for ducking out like I'd always wanted to, then far be it from me to stop him. With a heavy sigh, I realise that I just don't care. I don't. I couldn't care shit about this whole Volturi dealy or the vampire kingdom or the whole damn species, or even my own welfare. I never thought I'd say this, but being human seems like a fucking cakewalk in comparison to this sadistic sitcom of a life.

My thoughts are interrupted when I smack clumsily into another body. I jump back, startled out of my thoughtful trance.

"Oh for God's _sakes_. Will you ever learn to watch where you're damn well going?"

I glance up into the irritated eyes of Jane. I realise that I havn't seen her all evening. She looks beautiful as usual, in a soft lilac dress that just graces her knees. It's a gentle colour that I never expected to see on her, but it's lovely. I note that it's crumpled slightly, and her hair is less proper than usual. She looks like she's been freshly fucked.

I press my lips together, unable to concuct any kind of reaction. Defense, nonchalance, anger. Nothing. I stare blankly at her for little else to do, wrapping my arms around myself.

Her expression changes, neutralising before my eyes. Her expression is not soft, but she's not aggressive anymore. This doesn't help. I find myself _wanting_ her to lash out at me. I feel disconnected from everything. The ballroom and dancing vampires around me seem like a hazy dream. Maybe pain will help to ground me some.

"What's the matter?" Jane asks, sounding more curious than concerned.

Oh shit. Here come the tears. Damn these moods that always make me burst like a dam whenever anyone asks if I'm okay!

I shake my head, blinking fiercely. Pushing past her, I dodge the various vampires socialising in the hall and break into a human-sped run, fleeing the godforsaken room and everyone in it. I pause just outside the door, relieved by the lack of pursuit. I swallow deeply, my breathing shallow and heavy.

Drawing in one long, shaky breath, I hold my face in my hands, feeling nausious.

_This shit's worse than period pains_, I note.

I snort at my own thought, shaking my head at myself. I'm so ridiculous. This is all ridiculous! I heard all the rumours about Alec sleeping around – Corin fucking _told_ me – and I still chose not to believe them, to give him the benefit of the doubt. Why? What was I even hoping for? Am I even really surprised by what I saw?

No, not surprised. More...shocked. Thrown. I guess I'd expected Alec to wait a while before jumping into bed with somebody else.

Again – why? It's not like we really _had_ anything, besides sex.

But still, knowing that I mean as little to him now as I did as a human, it..._hurts_.

_Marcus was wrong, that old coot. I knew he was fucking wrong._

I look up in shock, hearing a femenine giggle. Chelsea and Afton stumble out of the ballroom, locked in eachothers arms, looking like giddy teenagers. Afton, grinning like anything, kisses Chelsea's cheek as he locks his arm around her waist and guides his smiling wife away.

"Oh!" Chelsea gasps, catching sight of me against the wall. They both unwrap from eachother, putting some respectable distance between them. They don't fool me – those smiles could only belong to people who are about to get seriously laid.

Despite everything, the sight of these vampires that I always thought were the mature part of the Volturi Guard, always proper and adult, hyper and childish puts a smile on my face. A feeble, pathetic excuse for a smile, maybe, but a smile none the less.

"Are you alright?" Chelsea asks, looking at me with scrutinizing eyes.

"Uh..."

_No. Fuck no. I've never been less alright in my entire fucking life._

"Yeah, I'm good. Just taking a breather."

Chelsea frowns, but Afton's hand wandering onto her hip distracts her.

My brows shoot up into my hairline and I give him a _dude, you're in public_ look. He looks embarrassed.

"We were just going for a walk," he lies, looking appropriately abashed.

I roll my eyes. "Right. Kay. Well, don't let me stop you."

_Please don't make me look at you two any longer!_

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chelsea asks, frowning.

"Finer than fine," I fib, forcing THEE fakest smile of all time. It seems to fool them, and they make a beeline for their bedroom.

I swallow deeply past the solid lump in my throat. I give them a few moments head start so I won't run into them on the stairs again. I break into a run, catching sobs in my throat as I retreat for my own room.

I make it there after a hundred thousand steps and – sure enough – there are _noises_ coming from Santiago's room.

Swallowing my disgust, I twist my doorknob.

"Ah, here you are."

I jump for the millionth time tonight. Jeez, I've really got to hone my listening skills. I really make a suckish vampire. "God, Blaine. You scared me."

"My apologies," Blaine says smoothly, walking down the hall towards me. He smiles widely, showing all those pretty pearls. "I've been looking for you."

I shrug, one hand still on my door. "Well. You found me."

He looks just as fantastic as he did earlier. Blonde and sleek and sexual.

His smile becomes something other than friendly. It becomes _really_ freaking friendly.

He steps even closer, invading my personal space. One tiny still-functioning part of my brain screeches at me for being a tool. My instincts don't like having him up so close and personal. But my nether-regions are urging me to drag him closer.

_"That's my girl," Alec purrs._

_I feel the tip of his nose drift with feather lightness from my temple to my chin, and he moves back up to kiss my lips. The kiss is very sweet, very soft._

I physically flinch away from the recollection. Blaine doesn't seem to notice – or care.

"I believe you owe me a dance," he smiles, placing one hand on my waist. My stomach flips.

"That's corny as fuck," I gasp, trying hard _not_ to behave like a spastic.

"I'm an old-fashioned guy," Blaine smirks, and then quickly dips his head and presses his lips against mine.

Before the shock can register or my instincts can make me shove him away, he uses his tongue to part my lips and deepens the kiss.

_"You belong to me," __Alec__ growls._

_He pulls my head away from the door, and I gasp. Every exhilation from him is coming out in a growl. His eyes darken._

_"You are mine," he snarls with finality, and I don't get a chance to take another breath before he crushes his lips against mine._

I kiss Blaine back, brushing off the memory as his arm slips around my waist and his hand rests against my upper thigh. He's a fantastic kisser, and I find myself becoming lost in his skills. All coherent thoughts seep out of my brain and I wrap my arms around his neck.

_I say nothing, because his face is only milimetres from mine and I've stopped breathing. Alec's thumb touches against my bottom lip and slides without friction – silk on silk – to the corner of my mouth. My eyes slide shut, revelling in the extraordinary feelings, and knowing that if he'd touched me this lightly only a few days previous, I wouldn't have felt it._

_No_, I snarl inwardly. _Get the fuck out of my thoughts. I refuse to care about you anymore._

Blaine's hand wanders upwards and cups my breast. My back arches into his hand as he squeezes, dragging his thumb over my nipple. The only thing between my flesh and his hand is the flimsy fabric of my dress – easily discarded.

His touches become more intimate, and the little nagging voice at the back of my head comes up front and centre.

_Do I want this? Everyone will know. Alec will find out-_

Alec can go fuck himself. I don't care about him.

_You love him_.

He's done nothing but hurt me. He's probably fucking Annalise right this minute.

_Corin said he wasn't interested in her_.

Shows how much she knows.

_Don't you love him? Don't you want him? Don't you care?_

No.

I break the kiss with Blaine, who stares into my eyes hotly – a promise of what's yet to come – and I reach my hand back to open my door and tug him inside my bedroom.

vVv

**Alec POV**

The emotional pain can't cloud my judgement for very long, and Annalise's lips become sour under mine. Her ever-wandering hand drifts below my waist to cup my groin, and I feel the beginning effects of her little talent.

_Oh, God!_

"Stop it. _No_, get off me," I snarl, shoving her away.

I'm much stronger than her, and she stumbles back, catching herself on an untrimmed branch of the hedge maze. She blinks, fury burning in her face, quickly replaced by cool lust.

"Why are you changing your mind, Alec? You want this," she purrs. Shock crashes through me when she reaches behind her neck to undo the tie of her dress. The front of it flaps forward, revealling large, creamy, shapely breasts to my greedy eyes.

"You persued me," she says, and I feel a subtle wave of her power that makes my cock twitch in my dress pants. She lifts slender hands and cups her breasts, squeezing gently, pinching soft pink peaks in invitation.

At the last moment, I manage to stop myself from lurching forward and I shake off the haze of her gift.

"Stop it," I snap, disgusted and angry. "Stop making a fool of yourself."

Her expression sours. "If I'm making a fool of myself, then how come you haven't stopped staring at me?"

I divert my eyes furiously. She appears in front of me and cups my face in her hands. "Shh, baby, it's okay," she croons. Dropping her hand down to mine, she grabs my hand and places it against her bare breast. My dick jumps.

"Just forget about her. Just forget it all," Annalise purrs, beginning to grind on me.

_I can't_.

"_Stop it_!" I snarl, snapping my body away from hers. "Fucking quit it! Don't talk about her!"

Annalise pauses, taps her jaw with one long pink nail. "If you care about the little wretch so much, then how come you're here with me, and not her?"

The sting of Nyx's rejection returns, fresh and painful.

"Because she won't have you," Annalise continues. "She doesn't _want_ you. I want you, honey. I always want you."

I glare at the girl in front of me with hatred. I know that if I dismembered and burned her, people would notice, and Aro would be angry.

_But it's so tempting_...

I settle for the next best thing. When Annalise collapses to the ground under my gift, I feel a thrill of smug rage. Crouching to spring, I leap over the top of the maze, escaping with ease.

I'm not giving up on Phoenix this easily. She's angry with me now. I can change that. She's been and at me before. I'm going to find her and make her listen to me if I have to tear apart everyone in this castle to do it.

When I walk back through the double doors into the hall, I almost crash into Jane, who hopsback just in time.

"Why does _everyone_ crash into me like that?" She complains. "Am I that small?"

"I have to go," I tell her urgently, sidestepping my sister quickly.

"Wait," she calls.

"_What_?" I growl impatiently.

Jane bites down on her lip "I'm going to regret this," she groans.

"What?"

Jane sighs. "Fine. I just saw Phoenix. And look – I don't know what you did. Frankly I don't care. I just know that she looked upset, and she fled in the direction of her bedroom."

I blink, baffled. "I didn't do anything."

Jane rolls her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. She slammed into me on her way back from the gardens and she looked devestated. You just came in from tha gardens. I'm not so dim that I can't connect the dots."

"I didn't see her in the garden," I say. Then-

_Oh fuck_. _No!_

"Right. Whatever. Well, I think she must have seen you. So you'd better fix it fast."

My brow creases. "Since when do you care about Phoenix?"

Jane snorts. "Don't get too excited. I couldn't care less about _her_," she bites her lip again. "But...I do care about _you_. You're my brother, and she makes you happy. You've always looked out for me so I think it's time to return the favour."

Despite everything, I can't stop a little smile. "Very noble of you, Jane."

Jane smirks. "I know."

I walk past her again, when she grabs my arm.

"Oh, and whatever you're planning on doing, I'd get there fast. I saw Blaine follow her up."

vVv

**Phoenix POV**

I clear my mind and body of any and all emotions besides lust. I let Blaine lay me down on my bed and settle himself between my legs, kissing me still. I clench his waist between my thighs and he grinds down on me, his erection growing in his trousers. It feels _so fucking good_ against my core. I start lifting my hips to rub against his pelvis. He gives a low growl against my lips.

I start unbuttoning his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders. He kisses my neck, sucking, biting. If I was still human, I'd be getting the world's most obnoxious hickey.

"Fuck," he growls when I start nipping his earlobe. "_I can't wait to get inside you_."

I shiver.

There's a huge bang, a loud crack, and a vicious snarl. Blaine and I lurch upwards in shock.

Alec is standing in my now open doorway, fists clenched in fury, breathing hard. His face looks _grey_, and he's shaking all over.

Oh. Well fuck.

Alec's growl loudens, and he falls into a crouch. Blaine responds to the challange, growling too.

I don't really know why I do what I do next. I breathe deeply, channelling my power, and then use all my metal strength to sieze control of Alec's mind. Blaine's growling stops when Alec's does, falling quiet in confusion.

"I can't hold him for long. Get out. _Go_!" I cry, giving him a push. He throws me a critical glance that makes me want to cringe, before racing past Alec and disappearing.

I hop off my bed immediately, feeling a strange, cold feeling ooze through me. I release Alec, who gasps loudly and stumbles before his eyes focus again – steely and cold.

"Where is he?" Alec growls. I stand still beside my bed, shoes kicked off somewhere, arms wrapped around myself like a child in disgrace.

"He's gone," I say, proud of myself for keeping my voice cool and even. Alec's eyes cut back to me, his glare softening. "Now get out of my room."

Alec stops everything. Stops moving, stops breathing.

There's one thing that I really hate about him. Even in a fit of rage, vicious apocalyptic fury, he can still master the utterly devestating, heart-wrenching expression of a wounded puppy.

"No," he whispers. "No, I won't. Listen to me-"

"I don't want to hear it," I hiss, turning away. I prepare to make a bolt for my bathroom and lock myself inside until he leaves. It's like he reads my mind or some shit, because he races forward and catches my bare arms in his hands from behind me.

"Don't run away from me. _Please_," he begs, sounding agonised.

"Then get out," I say, my voice catching and cracking pathetically.

Alec leans his face into the back of my head, his nose buried in my hair. "Nyxie. Please."

I whimper, my heart panging. "What do you _want_ from me?"

"I want you to talk to me. I want us to talk. I don't want to fight any more."

A single sob wrestles it's way out of my throat. Alec walks around to my front, and I'm shocked to see his own eyes glassed over. He cups my face in his hands, leaning his cheek against my head. He moves, kissing my forehead. He drops a kiss on my temple, my cheek, the corner of my mouth.

And then he's kissing me. Anxious and scared and longing. His lips mould perfectly against mine, just the way I remember. I kiss him back, out of upset and desperation and my anchoring need for him. When he deepens the kiss, I don't protest. His tongue twists with mine, sensual and sweet and so familliar. But...

I taste something foreign. And when I take my first breath since he entered my room, a sickly sweet scent fills my nose. I freeze completely. My stomach drops. My heart lurches painfully.

I shove him away with all the force I can manage. He staggers back, looking shocked. "What? What is it?" He asks, paniced.

"I saw you with _her_," I seeth, wiping my mouth fiercely with the back of my hand, shuddering. Alec looks appalled.

"No," he gasps, chest heaving. "No no no, no, _God no_." He grips my shoulder in his hands. "That...I-I...that wasn't-"

I shove him back again, my face twisted with pain and the effort it's taking not to cry. "Don't like to me! You reek of her," I hiss.

"That was a mistake," Alec cries. "_Fuck_. A dreadful mistake. And before you jump the gun, it wasn't...I didn't..." His eye blaze with something new. Not anger. Intuition. "You were up here with Blaine. You were going to."

My anger reaches it's peak. "Because I thought you were out there fucking _her_! I wanted one up on you!" I scream. My vision edges with scarlet, and I feel the familliar symptoms of newborn rage creeping up on me. In a fit of fury, my leg launches sideways and takes out the side of my nightstand. It splinters and breaks like wet paper. My bag, which I had placed lovingly on top of it so I could figure out a safer place to put it, drops before I can gather my thoughts to stop it. It hits the floor, and there's a sound af cracking glass. I stop.

Alec watches mutely as I crouch and reach inside my bag with shaking hands, pulling the shattered frame out. The silver of the frame is broken and cracked. The glass shattered into shards. The picture within is crumpled, the edge torn.

Alec's arms are there before I crumple properly to the ground. The stress of this evening, the last weeks of pain and heartbreak, the impact of _everything_, hits. And I start to cry.

Alec pulls me to his chest, his arms tight around me, rocking, rocking, as I sob into my hands. Then, another flare of rage.

"No!" I sob, wrenching away from him. "You don't get to _do_ this! You don't _get_ to hold me and tell me it's okay! You _don't_!"

He holds on tight, holding my fists in his hands even when I pound at him, kissing my fingers even when I scratch at his face.

"Yes, I do," he says, his voice shaky.

"_Why_?"

Alec releases my hands to hold my face. He tilts it up, forcing me to look at him.

"Because I love you, Nyx. I love you. I _love_ you."

**OMG WOWZERS. I actually teared up writing that last part. Goodness, that was intense. This was a painfully long chapter -_- Hope y'all didn't get bored halfway through.**


	27. Crash

**Just reread the last chapter. SO many fucking typos. I facepalmed my way through the entire thing and it's KILLING ME. I type too fast to see mistakes and my spellchecker is busted so it's an all-round FAIL FEST. Then I get so hyped up that I'm finished a chapter and I have to upload it STRAIGHTAWAY without bothering to proofread it or check it over for mistakes. Bah on myself. Shameful.**

**This is a calm little chapter to counteract the angst in the last one.**

**Also thanks to Mel who reviewed not once, not twice, but THREE FUCKING TIMES! You, dear, are AWESOME! She helped me get to 400 reviews (cue myself with one little party popper moment) so this chapter is dedicated to Mel!**

_But when I looked at her, I thought of only you,_

_If only there was proof I could use, to show it's true..._

_Just crash, fall down, I'll wrap my arms around you now,_

_Just crash, it's our time now, to make this work_

_Second time around..._

"Well well well," Santiago grins, reaching out to ruffle my hair. It's all curly-shit after I took it down from Renata's handywork, and I quite like it. I duck away from his reaching hand just in time, sending him a glare that'd send freaking Hitler screaming in terror. "Look who survived a social event intact!"

"See? It wasn't so terrible, was it?" Heidi smiles, struggling to hold on to little Sandrine, who seems to be going stir-crazy cooped up inside even though it's more space than she's ever had access to. She starts nipping sharp little teeth at Heidi's fingertips, and Heidi only chastes her fondly.

"I'm only _barely_ intact," I huff. In fact, I'm hanging on to my intact-itude by the skin of my teeth.

Santiago manages to capture me in a hug. "Awh, you look fine to me."

"_Thankssomuch," _I gasp, my face squished against his bicep.

Corin, who's been sitting back watching the spectacle, chooses to butt in, in the world's most obnoxious way possible.

"She shagged someone," Corin smirks, leaning back in her seat with her arms tucked behind her head.

Santiago's jaw sags dramatically (and I snag the oppertunity to slip under his arms out of his bone-crunching hug) and Heidi almost drops the little girl, snatching her up just in the nick of time. They're both staring at me as if Corin just declared that I decided to have a huge orgy in the middle of the garden and didn't invite them.

"_What_?" Heidi gasps.

"I _didn't_!" I hiss furiously.

"Puh-_lease_!" Corin scoffs. "I saw you disappear and you didn't come back after that. Oh, girl, please tell me that you didn't spend all that time sulking up in your room _alone_?"

Santiago and Heidi are staring at me like I've just grown a third eye. I don't know if I should be insulted that they're so shocked about the prospect of me getting laid with anyone besides Alec. They're not going to let me escape without some form of an answer. So I decide to tease them a little.

"Not exactly," I say slyly, enjoying winding them up. They look about ready to fucking pop. "I sulked up in my room with someone else."

"Scandal!" Santiago gasps, sounding like such a woman that I have to snort.

Corin looks dissappointed on my behalf. "No action, then?"

I shrug nonchalantly. "Nothing worth reporting," I answer semi-truthfully.

There's a sudden sharp _Ahem!_ That makes us all jump. Caius stands in the door of the lounge, arms folded, looking even more uptight than usual.

"Phoenix," he snaps. Me. Of course me. Who else would he be here for? It's not as if there's, like, a hundred other vampires in the castle right now. "You are supposed to be patrolling right now."

Ding a ling ling! Caius my man, you are my savior!

"Alright," I grumble, secretly thrilled with this escape hatch. Anything to escape this fucking interrogation.

"Get moving," he growls, hunting me out of the room and down the hall in double-quick time.

"Sure thing."

"Get changed and get out to the courtyard with the others. Hurry up!"

"Wait," I pause, grinding my feet to a halt. Caius stares at me impatiently. "Changed into what, exactly?"

Caius's expression changes. He reaches beneath his cloak and reveals (no. Just no, okay? Honestly!) a dark bundle. Before I can even process this or draw up a conclusion, he thrusts it into my arms and walks away, looking for somebody else to terrorise. Caius craves order in his household.

I stare down at the fabric bundle in rapt fascination. Reaching out, I lift the first fold up, seperating it from the others. I hold it up in the air, lifting it higher when it doesn't stop unrolling. It's vast and as tall as me, drifting against the stone floor when I hold it at eye level. It's a uniform standard cloak, the same deep grey as Jane and Alec's.

vVv

I can't seem to help feeling smug as I'm changing. My small, self-satisfied grin only widens when I examine the rest of my uniform; a long, black, layered dress with no sleeves, just two plain straps. There's a corset that I have to puzzle over for a few minutes before I figure out how to tie it. There are also some neat black patent shoes that instantly make me cringe. They're like the shoes I thought were cute when I was way back in elementary school. Deciding that the uniform needs a little personal touch, I slip on my Doc Martens underneath my dress, deciding that no one will even see them underneath the cloak anyway.

The hood is freaking massive. It almost obscures my eyes altogether when I pull it up. Snorting, I decide to leave it down. I'm sure sight is an asset when scouring the city for intudors.

I gotta say, I'm a little relieved. When Aro first mentioned a uniform to me, I'd imagined getting one exactly like Jane's – the little short dress and cloak like Little Red freaking Riding Hood. Not only would this tick her off to the point of homicide, but I did _not_ want to wander about the castle looking like Jane's awkward clone. But because of our identical ages and sizes, I had fully expected it.

Even though the Ball was only twenty four hours previous and a large handful of guests are still roaming around, the Guard are being sent out on their usual patrolling rounds. I've only recently been added to the schedual, which chops and changes every week because some pairs are inclined to stop and gossip, some disappear to make use of the empty buildings, and some get too enthusiastic in their citywide scouting and lose track of eachother within ten minutes. The pairs are mixed and matched by Chelsea, who's high ranking enough to be in charge of these kind of affairs. Or maybe Aro's just being lazy, how the hell should I know?

Renata is waiting patiently for me in the Plaza. It's after nightfall and pitch black out, so there's no worries about her being seen in her getup which would appear out of place, and frankly quite weird in this modern day world. She's sitting swinging her legs on the fountain, dipping her fingers into the water, a silly smile on her face.

Hmm. She seems like she's daydreaming. The glaze-y look in her eyes tells me that she's utterly lost to this fine world of ours. I wonder if I snuck up on her quietly enough, would she get enough of a fright to topple right into the water? Jeez, now _that_ would be a youtube worthy scene! But I have a feeling she'd shriek the place down and wake the entire city, which wouldn't go down well – with Caius _or_ with the sleepy humans. Maybe I'd better behave.

"Hey, Renata. You with me?" I call. She starts a little bit.

"Oh, Nyx! I didn't see..." She trails off, her mouth popping open into a neat little 'o' when she realises what I'm wearing. "Oh my gosh," she gasps, hopping up from her sitting position and circling me slowly, drinking in every little detail of my uniform.

"What do you think?" I ask, when she comes to a stop in front of me, mouth twitching with a suppressed grin. "Does this shit scream 'creature of the night' or what?"

Renata gives a small giggle. "It suits you."

I shrug, my shoulders bobbing underneath the thick fabric of my cloak. "I feel weird."

"You _are_ weird," Renata says fondly. I give her a light shove that doesn't budge her.

"You're one to talk!"

Renata smiles widely. "Come on, while the night's still young. We've got work to do."

vVv

_Alec and I hold eachother for a long time. The clocktower chimes four times, and the sounds of the party downstairs slowly, slowly quiet until the music is just background sound to the hum of conversation. A lot of people retreat to their rooms for some rest before the long journey home tomorrow. Well, most of them are going home. Some are staying for a few days to tour the vicinity and catch up with old friends. Either way, I don't care much._

_Alec and I lean against the side of my bed. I'm curled up in a ball between his legs, my head resting against his shoulder. Our quiet, murmured conversation has gone on for hours. I've calmed down, and now I'm just embarrassed about my display earlier. I choose to blame my hormones. Hormones take the blame for a lot of my shit. _

_Alec toys absentmindedly with one of my artificial curls, which eventually unravels in his fingers, becoming nothing more than a wisp of a wave. I sigh. His fingertips graze my cheekbones, and he inhales the scent of my hair._

"_I know I've put you through a lot," he says quietly, interrupting the peaceful silence. "I've done a lot of things to you. Things I'm...ashamed of."_

_I snuggle further into his chest, comforting us both. "I remember."_

_Alec sighs. He shifts slightly, and his hand ventures into his pocket. He pulls out something I haven't seen in a long while. Something I thought I'd never see again. "Do you remember this?"_

"_My collar," I breathe, astounded. _

_I pluck it out of Alec's hand and examine it closely. The little white lock is still there, the studs, the leather strap. I stare at it in astonishment. I've never held it in my hand before. Alec put it on, and he took it off. _

"_Why do you have this with you?" I ask curiously. Alec's shoulders shrug, making my head bob._

"_I don't really know. I found it a few days before I found your bag. I just got into the habit of carrying it around. You can keep it if you like."_

_And because I'm a fucking sentimental fool – and not because of my hoarding issues – I fold over the leather strap a few times until it fits into the palm of my hand. I close my fist over it with a sigh. Alec echoes the sound, rubbing his cheek against the top of my head. I can feel his hand against the bare skin of my back, fingers drifting absentmindedly against my flesh. I give a small shiver, remembering how good his fingers feel in other places._

"_What?" Alec murmurs._

"_Nothing," I reply, a little embarrassed with where my thoughts have gone. As usual. _

vVv

Renata and I are assigned to the South end of Volterra. Afton and Jane are taking the North. I follow Renata as, in one graceful bound, she leaps onto the roof of a house. I indulge her in a rooftop stroll.

The night is clouded and dim, but the full moon manages to break through the clouds every so often, casting our shadows against the cobblestone of the ground below. I'm quite well fed from last night, but the throbbing and pulsing of hundreds of beating hearts in the houses below are fucking _maddening_. My eyes rove the city as I grimace, almost _hoping_ for an intrudor or two as a distraction from my gnawing thirst.

I glance across at my companion. Renata sure isn't being as vigilant as I am – she's staring down at her clasped fingers, permitting herself a tiny smile. In the light of the hidden moon, I can see her eyes shining.

My jaw drops with an audible pop. I _know_ that look.

Oh my days.

I spin around, skidding on my heel and almost dislodging one of the roof tiles beneath my agile feet. Renata hops back a step when I come to stand in front of her, so close that we're almost nose-to-nose.

"Who is he?" I demand.

vVv

_I bite down on my lip, my brow denting a little as I think. Alec watches my face, his eyes still a little anxious – wondering what's on my mind._

"_I feel like all we ever had was sex," I blurt out suddenly._

_Oh, _well_ done._

_As soon as the words have passed my lips, I cringe, feeling hot with instant regret. It's Alec's turn to pull an awkward thinky face. He's silent for what seems like eons._

"_I...I never really thought of it," he says finally, sounding as though he's weighing each word carefully before he speaks it. _

_I'm not that smart. "Don't get me wrong, I like the sex," I babble. "I-I mean, good. _It_ was very good. B-but-"_

_Alec saves me from myself, gently touching his finger against my lips to silence me. He gives a small, weak smile. It makes him appear suddenly very young. Very vulnerable. Almost his physical age. It makes my stomach flip, and I can't seem to help leaning my face into his hand when he moves to cup my cheek._

"_I know," he says, his voice gentle. His smile turns a little playful. "Those kind of reactions are hard to fake."_

_My mouth drops open at his cheek. He nudges my temple with his nose to show that he's teasing, but my lips curve into a petulant pout. "You said you like that I'm vocal!"_

_I gotta say, my reactions in bed are kind of embarrassing – Felix with those fucking big ears of his likes to imitate me to piss me off – but Alec never seemed to mind._

_His lips ghost against my jaw. "I do," he amends, still smiling. "Do you think it's any fun giving your best to absolute silence?"_

_Huh. Makes sense. "I wouldn't know. You're quite vocal yourself."_

_Alec gives one quiet laugh. "I suppose I am," he admits. He gives me a light squeeze. "Now, what were you trying to say?"_

_My lip is taking some serious fucking abuse as I gnaw on it again, nervous and tense._

"_You can tell me," Alec prompts gently._

"_I know," I sigh. "I'm trying to word it."_

_Alec keeps his mouth shut as I begin. "Hmm. I guess what I'm trying to say is...erm..." Alec keeps waiting. Well, at least his patience has improved. "Well, when I was human, we hated eachother. Like, full-on loathing. But then we had sex and everything seemed to magically fix it's self."_

_Alec looks uncomfortable. "Well, you became a vampire not long after that," he hedges._

"_But you changed, too," I press. "When I was human, before the sex, you treated me like dirt. Then I started to _please_ you, and you started to act different."_

_Alec's brow creases._

vVv

"Wh-What?" Renata stammers, taking another step backwards. If she was human, she'd be blushing fiercely. "Who?"

I tut. She can't fool me. "The guy."

"Guy?"

Hmm. This is a dangerous game she plays! Poor Renata – she's so sweet, she can't lie to save her life. Time to crank up the interrogation a tad.

"Yeah. The _guy_. The one you're fantasising about fucking while we're meant to be patrolling!"

Oh, I'm so cruel. Renata looks ready to snap. Or cry. Or throw herself off the roof.

"I am _not_!" She gasps, her voice so high with distress that it could shatter glass. My brow quirks. "I-I mean, there is no guy."

She looks stressed, her fingers fumbling with her cloak. I think back to the night before.

"Tall? Dark haired? Wandering hand? Any of this ringing a bell?" I ask, fighting a losing battle with a huge smirk. Oh, this is too fun. I _miss_ getting a laugh at other people's expense! Some little twinge in my gut makes me think that I did this quite a bit as a human. And I see why.

Renata looks like I've just thrust a stick of lighted dynamite down her throat. She seems to be gagging on thin air. "What did you see?"

"You _admit_ it!"

"No I _don't_!" She shrieks, fisting her hands in her soft, straight hair.

There's a quiet click, and sudden glare from artificial light. My head whips around to observe the invasion in my vision. A bedroom window in the house across from ours is blazing with light. But by the time a face appears in the window, and the odd scraping sound of the window being opened reaches our ears, we're already gone.

Gripping into the opposite side of our roof with sharp nails, our backs pressed tightly against the slates, I grin a little. It's usually _me_ who causes the scene. It's nice to be on the other side of it for once – makes me feel all mature an' shit.

"So," I say, my voice low enough to remain undetected by our curious investigator, or anybody else who might be awake. "Who is he?"

"None of your business," she says hotly, looking awfully embarrassed. Her mortified expression makes her look young and cute. I swear, inside Renata, there's a naive little thirteen-year-old girl (and not just because she ate one).

Ring ding ding! Sudden inspiration!

I shrug my shoulders as best I can pressed against the roof. "Alright. I guess I'll ask Corin. I bet _she_ knows!" Grinning evilly, I wiggle my fingers in a wave and throw myself onto the next roof out of immediate reach.

And I still can't get over the thrill of being _able_ to throw myself from roof to roof. This shit never gets old!

Even if I still feel a little queasy if I ever look down.

I gasp. My head reels, and my grip on the slanted rooftop slips. My fingers skid uselessly as my vision distorts and I tip backwards. Even through my dizzy, unaware frame of mind, my fingers curl and reach at thin air, tring to reclaim their grip on the roof. They twitch uselessly as the sound of air sailing past my ears registers in my foggy mind. The crash of my body impacting against the ground echos through the streets. Renata drops gracefully, her feet landing gently beside my head, making barely any sound at all.

"_Ugh_," I moan groggily, clutching my head in both hands as I force myself to sit up. "What _happened_?"

"You got nosy," Renata scowls.

The effect of her shield wears off quickly when she wants it to. She needs me back in action, seeing as my literal fall from grace seems to have attracted quite a bit of attention. Lights sear into the blackness of the night as more people wake to investigate the result of Nyx VS. Pavement.

Renata grabs my arm and hauls my ass down a slim alleyway before we can be spotted. Well, calling it an alleyway might be a bit of a stretch – it's more like a foot-wide gap between two houses. We have to squeeze through sideway, one by one, but once we're in the middle there's no danger of being seen, and we can breathe again. I chuckle weakly.

"We seem to be making quite the spectacle of ourselves."

Renata frowns at me. "It's your _fault_."

"Is not," I argue. "You know all about my love life – or the lack thereof – why can't I know about yours?"

I decide that a teensy white lie on my part isn't really enough to condemn me to Hell. She doesn't know _everything_, exactly.

There's a brief silence. I count seven seconds on a ticking clock in one of the houses. Renata sighs deeply.

"Fine. I'll tell you."

vVv

_It's quiet for a long time. The silence starts to make me antsy. I fumble with my collar in my hand. I start to worry about breaking it or something, so I place it aside and grip my dress skirts instead – something I'm far less worried about destroying, despite all the time and agonising boredom it took before it was found for me. Alec rubs my arm as I squirm a little, trying to gather my nerves. Fuck. Fuck! What did I get myself into? I entertain the idea of leaving, but I quickly dismiss the thought when I remember that I'm _in my room_. Mine. Alec's the intrudor here, not me._

_Taking an unsteady breath, I pull out of his arms and stand up, wrapping my arms around my torso again as I begin to pace, my mouth feeling suddenly very dry. Alec lets me go easily, but his face is creased. In hurt? Confusion? I'm past knowing, which makes me feel a little strange – I've always been pretty good at reading him. Have I lost that? What else have we lost?_

_Have we really lost anything at all?_

_My hands fumble around eachother and my breathing quickens as my head whirls with scary thoughts. I feel a crushing pressure around my ribs – I know better than to think it's real. I'm imagining it. The only pressure surrounding me is emotional...but it still hurts._

_I hear Alec rise, but I don't look at him. I keep my eyes on the ancient wood of my floorboards. Alec hesitates, his whole body rigid and tense. I continue my rounds, walking quickly from one side of my room back to the other. After a tense minute, Alec's strong hands catch my hips from behind, stilling my walk. I feel his firm, sculpted chest against my back and I have to resist a shudder – and the urge to lean back into him. I know he'd accept me – wrap his arms around me and hold me – but I can't. I'm not ready._

"_Tell me what you're thinking," Alec whispers. "Please_. Please_."_

_My exhilation is shaky and broken. I inhale again, and my senses are instantly assaulted by that sickly sweet, alien scent. _Her_ scent._

_I know why I'm not ready. There are still things that need to be said._

_However, when I open my mouth to speak, my tongue seems to have decided to take a vacation without warning and I'm left lost for words. All I can do is shudder._

"_What?" Alec breathes. I can feel his fingers trembling a little. He's nervous, afraid of what thoughts have entered my head. Why does this make me want to throw my arms around him? Why does the fact that he's – for once – openly vulnerable and anxious, seem so fucking endearing to me? I squeeze my eyes shut. Half upset, half _mad_._

"_I can still smell her," I manage to grind out, through my teeth. Alec freezes altogether. _

_I hear him breathe in a little, and he pulls back. I feel a weight in my chest when he's no longer touching me. My thoughts tread the lines of _that's it. He's sick of me. He's done trying to console me_, before I hear the forceful pop of buttons._

_I glance over my shoulder to see Alec drop his dress jacket to the floor. His hand unravels his already loose tie, and then that's gone too, tossed carelessly over his shoulder. His firm hands grip the collar of his crisp white shirt, and he yanks it apart, tearing it open. He shrugs it off his shoulders with speed that could almost resemble urgency. His shirt goes too, and then he's back on me, his arms tight around my waist, his bare chest pressed against my bare back, making me want to moan. I smother a reactive sound before it can escape my lips and get me in trouble._

"_There," Alec says, voice quaking, pressing his face into the mussed tangle of my hair. _

_My throat tightens and dries like the fucking Sahara. My lower lip shakes precariously and I bite down hard, so hard that it hurts like fuck. But I don't let up. _

_Despite all this, I find my words. "Do you know h-how..._hurt_ I felt when I saw..." I trail off, almost afraid to continue._

"_Yes," Alec whispers, breathing hard. "Yes, I do."_

_I'm far from oblivious to the pain in his voice. I picture his face when he saw me with Blaine. Wait, no. It's deeper than a meaningless rebound. Much deeper. Think back further._

_I manage to conjure up a long-lost image of his face when he came across Benjamin and I, heatedly entwined, being human together. Rage and pain and disbelief all rolled up into one devastated expression. _

_I hurt him first._

"_I was human," I mumble weakly. It's a pathetic excuse, the lowest of the low, but it's all I can think of. Alec was treating me like I was dirt beneath his expensive shoes. Benjamin was my safe haven. _

_Alec's breathing becomes ragged and shaky. "I thought you were done with me," he whispers. I know he doesn't mean back then. He means tonight. "I thought that was _it_."_

_I can't say anything. The only thing I can think to do is turn in his arms and press my face into his bare chest, burying my own shame. Alec groans. His hand drifts against my exposed skin at the small of my back, rubbing, feeling. It's almost relaxing._

"I can smell him too_," Alec whispers, his voice the barest breath. His lips graze against my ear as they move._

_I tense, becoming totally still. Alarm races through me at this subtle invitation to take my clothes off. _

_Alec releases me when I pull away again. I don't step far – just putting some semblance of respectable distance between our bodies. Because I know my own willpower, which is jack fucking squat. I want him. Even now. My body seems to be on high alert, screaming for him; his touch, his lips, his tongue..._

_But I can't. I won't. If I give in to my cravings, I'll take him. We'll have sex, and it will be incredible. Passionate, deep, unforgettable, a scapegoat to this conversation. Just like before._

_We _need_ this conversation._

vVv

"I don't even know why you want to know so badly. It's really not that interesting," Renata says, sounding weary.

Oh yay. I love winning arguements. Hell, I love winning, period. Maybe because it doesn't happen all that often.

"You'll find that I'm easily entertained," I shrug, almost bouncing in place.

"Fine," she sighs again, chewing on her lower lip. It's a habit I can identify with. "His name's Jerome."

"Kay," I prompt when she falls silent again. "What about him?"

Renata fidgets. I grin. "Well, you know how most of the Guard view our events as an excuse to have sex with as many vampires as possible?"

I nod, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. Boy, do I know it!

"Well, I don't really do that," she says. "I don't like it. And the rumors that spread about us can be horrible."

"So...you only have sex with one person a night?" I ask.

"Er...well yes. Always the same person," she says, looking so embarrassed that she should be freaking firetruck red.

"Jerome."

"Yeah..."

I smile widely. "That's sweet!"

"Shut up," Renata mumbles.

"And you _like_ him?"

"Shut _up_!"

"You _do_!" I gasp delightedly. "Does he feel the same?"

Renata shrugs, not giving away on that one.

"How long have you known him?" I ask curiously, twisting my new-old accessory around my wrist, under my cloak so Renata doesn't see. It's my collar, doubled over and clipped in place with the lock. It's very loose and I keep having to hitch it up out of sight.

"A couple hundred years," Renata admits.

I blink, thinking quickly. "So he's...the only person you've slept with in hundreds of years?"

Renata nods mutely, looking a little embarrassed. I don't comment. Who am I to talk, anyway? I've only ever slept with one person. At least Renata got to play the field for a century or two before she settled down.

"He lives outside Rome, in a permenant settlement with his coven," she tells me, willing to dish the dirt now.

"Not very far away from here," I muse, my voice weighed down with some serious heavy hints.

"There's only four of them. Four males. They settled there so Jerome and I could see eachother every so often."

Aha! "Why doesn't he just stay here?" I ask. "I mean, you care about him enough to be exclusive, why not go the whole nine yards?"

"He's not gifted," Renata explains, looking utterly shame-faced. "There's no place for him in the Elete Guard. The Lower don't have permenant homes with us. He's not talented enough to get in either way. He can't stay, and I can't leave."

She suddenly looks so sad that I want to give her a bear hug. However, our current cramped conditions make that impossible without seriously damaging these houses. And I don't really want to give Caius an excuse to flog me.

"Wouldn't Aro make an exception?" I ask. "I mean, you've served him well for so many years. Couldn't this be...like a reward?"

Renata's lower lip quivers. "No," she says, her voice fluctuating, making her sound like a little girl. "Having a mate would distract me from my purpose as a Guard. You'll learn, in time; being a Volturi member means sacrifices. That's what commitment is about."

vVv

"_I'm sorry," Alec gasps, instantly realising his mistake. He takes his own step back, frowning deeply. I watch his face carefully. He rakes his hands fiercely through his already moppish hair, gripping tightly. It looks like it hurts, but if he notices, he doesn't care._

"_I always say the wrong thing," he spits, fists clenching tighter. I know then that his anger is directed at himself, not me. _

_He looks upset, insecure. I know the feeling. _

_I walk forward, trembling a little bit. I hope he doesn't notice. Reaching up, I take his clenched hands in mine and lower them gently, holding them tightly. Alec's eyes don't leave my face as his fists relax, and he entwines our fingers. I lift one pair of clasped hands to my face, leaning my cheek against our fingers._

"_Not always," I reply._

_Alec closes his eyes, leaning his forehead against mine. He catches on to my meaning immediately. He presses his lips to mine and kisses me. Very gentle. There's no hint at sex. It's just a simple kiss, affectionate and loving._

"_I love you," he whispers again. His voice is low and husky and laced with emotion, and it makes my head heart glow. He slides his arms around my waist. I wrap mine around his neck. I press my lips together, feeling suddenly anxious._

"_I-I..." I stammer, cringing inwardly. "I'm..."_

"_Not ready," Alec finishes softly, unpreturbed by my inability to speak like a human being. He nudges my nose with his. "I know. I've given you plenty of reasons to be reserved. But I know you love me. I'm willing to wait."_

"_Cocky," I mumble. He only kisses me again._

vVv

"What on earth are you two doing down there?" A voice rings out, shattering the saddened silence.

There could only be one source to such an invading voice. Jane peers down at us, brow furrowed quizzitively. Afton hovers beside her, looking discretely into the distance. I suppose having had a wife for thousands of years must have taught him to keep his nose out of girls' conversations.

"Er...I fell off a roof," I announce.

"You..._fell_...off a roof?" Jane says incredulously.

Oh cringe. I can't seem to _help_ but embarrass myself on a freaking hourly basis. I decide to leave out Renata's part in my little shenanigan. She still looks a little depressed, though she's trying hard to mask it in front of Afton and Jane.

"Sure did," I reply lightly, like a vampire tumbling off the top of a house is the most normal, everyday thing in the world.

Jane shakes her head in disbelief. "It would take you, wouldn't it?"

Sigh. It sure would.

vVv

"_Let's just...try," Alec says. His voice is full of open and unashamed pleading. Now, if only I knew what he was talking about. That's be nice._

"_Huh?" I mumble, my brow furrowing._

"_Let's try to be together," Alec says, reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ears. His face is full of determination and confidence. "A relationship."_

_I think I must look pretty funny. My eyes bulge out of my head and my jaw drops completely. Alec gives a cute, crooked grin, and I have to marvel at his composure not to laugh at me._

vVv

Apparantly Jane and Afton originally hunted us down to let us know that our shift was over. Jeez, time flies when you're making a fool of yourself.

So I mosey on back to my room, grumbling over the dirt on my brand-new cloak, only to find Alec sitting on my bed, waiting for me. He smiles when I enter, standing up. I feel my own smile spreading across my face. In under a second, I feel his lips on mine, and my eyes slide shut. His fingers drag softly through the thick mass of my hair as the kiss deepens, our tongues welcoming eachother in the most sweet, sensual way.

Damn. Even after hundreds of similar kisses, he still has the ability to make my knees shake and inflict the feeling of a dizzy schoolgirl on me.

My nails scratch lightly against the back of his neck. His hands find my waist through my cloak's thick fabric, holding me against his firm torso. He breaks the kiss first, and I sigh – not out of dissappointment or annoyance or even contentment; just because. He leans his forehead against mine.

"This looks good on you," he says, untangling himself from my embrace. I fight against a pout, remembering that it was _me_ who wants to take things slow, the whole baby-steps malarky.

"Thanks," I reply, still sporting a silly little grin that just won't fade. His hand slips into mine and I let him lead me to the sofa. He sinks down first, pulling me down gently. I lean my back against the arm of the couch with my legs thrown across his lap.

"How was patrolling?" He asks me as I unfasten the clasp of my cloak from around my shoulders and shrug it away.

"Fine, I guess. Not much in the way of action," I say, toying with my Volturi pendant. "Oh, and Renata used her shield against me and I fell off a roof."

Alec chuckles lightheartedly. The sound makes my chest flutter and reminds me of just how much I missed him – flaws and all – since our fight.

"Well, that sounds about right," he smiles, his arm sliding around my back as I burrow against him, breathing in the scent of his skin.

"Oh," he says suddenly, dissappiontment seeping into the soft bass of his voice. "Damn, I forgot. Demetri wants to see you – he says he has news."

I scowl deeply. "Now?"

Alec smiles, pleased at my reluctance to leave him. He gives me a quick, soft kiss that instantly leaves me aching for more, and gently tips my legs off his lap.

"The sooner you go and pretend to listen to what he has to say, the sooner you can get back," he grins boyishly, nudging my knee with his. And I just _know_ how aware he is of my body's almost automatic reaction to him. His smile is a little too smug.

vVv

"_Alright," I whisper, once I'm somewhat composed myself. "Yes."_

_Alec's smile is so wide, so bright and dazzling that I completely forget my own mind, and what I was about to say next. He kisses me rapturiously, frantically, making my head spin. It takes a while for me to manage to break away._

"But_," I interrupt, holding my hand up. Alec blinks. "I have a condition."_

_Alec doesn't seem to know how to react to that. He blinks again, looking utterly lost. The puzzled look on his face is adorable._

"_Well, not so much a condition as a request," I amend. "I want to take things slow this time. I don't want to rush."_

_Alec still seems oblivious to my train of thought. I continue regardless. "I want to hold off on the whole sex dealy. At least for a while."_

"_Celibacy?" Alec replies coolly, finally clicking to my reasoning. I nod._

_Alec blows upwards, ruffling his bangs. I wait, a nervous feeling gnawing away at my insides._

"_I have no problem with that," he says, smiling reassuringly._

_Now it's my turn to blink. That was not the reaction I'd anticipated._

"_Really?" I ask uncertainly._

"_Truly," Alec answers._

"_No arguing, no bargaining, no one hundred and one logical reasons why my condition is a bad idea?" I ask, surprised._

"_I'm tired of arguing," Alec says, kissing my forehead. "And I don't want to hurt you any more. I'm willing to go along with whatever you wish to make you happy."_

_I laugh breathlessly, feeling a little lightheaded. I kiss him deeply, feeling as though I've been wearing the tightest corset in the world, but I've managed to claw myself free and now I can breathe again._

vVv

"Are you for real?" I demand, my mouth agape in shock. Demetri nods, supressing a grin. After all, this is Serious Business.

Apparantly.

"Believe it or not, Aro was pleased with how you conducted yourself last night. He thinks you held your temper and instincts well against all odds – against provocation and with the blood in such close quarters," Demetri says. "There was one more reason for the Ball. A little test, which you passed with flying colours."

"_Jesus Christ_," I blurt out, unable to remove the Derp expression from my face. "I thought the whole reason I was at the fricking thing was so Aro could show me off."

"Partially," Demetri shrugs. "I doubt he would have had you display your power in such a public setting either way. Not only would it put our guests at disease, but Aro likes to leave an air of a little mystery."

I breathe upwards heavily, my bangs fluttering. "If you say so."

"He wants to take things to the next level," Demetri explains.

"But...the next level is such a _high_ level," I hedge, trying to keep the whine out of my voice. Jeez. A week or so ago, Felix had me thinking that I'd _never_ get out on a mission, and now Demetri drops this utter fucking bombshell that I'll be gone for a whole week cleaning up after some overly-cocky coven...maybe.

"Perhaps not. More often than not, the leads we get are little more than fools errand," Demetri says. "But the physical evidence is becoming more and more apparant and the coven is becoming overly large. Also, there are whispers that they've been reached by the Romanians."

Any hesitation on my part instantly soars out the window. My teeth grit. "How come?"

"Rumors. The coven don't like being restrained by the law, and the Romanian's opposition to us suggested allies. Of course, they won't know too much about Vladimir and Stefan's organisation, just enough. Rumor has it that they've created their own gifted vampire. If this is in fact the case, we might want to acquire him."

"Or her."

"Yes, yes," Demetri says, waving off my correction with disinterest. "Anyway. We leave tomorrow morning."

"We?" I echo, relieved that Aro's not jumping the gun and having me tackle this all by myself. Knowing me, I'd throw rocks at them and then take off shrieking.

"I'm coming along. So are Felix and the twins," Demetri's eyes glitter suddenly, taking on an air of mischief that puts me on guard. "And judging by his scent all over you, I take it you won't be opposed to having Alec's company on this escapade?"

His tone is light and teasing and I return his smirk. "I'm sure I'm grown up enough to maintain some professional courtesy," I say loftily waving my hand dismissively. Demetri rolls his eyes.

"Am I to take this as confirmation that you've made up?"

My own eyes narrow a little, forming slits of bright red. "Not in the way you're thinking."

Demetri's yeah-fucking-_right _expression tells me that he doesn't believe a word of it. And, me being me, I just have to correct him.

"Actually, we're on a celibacy kick," I announce, folding my arms.

Demetri's expression changes. His face becomes blank, eyes examining for any sign of bluffing. After a minute of complete silence and retarded facial expressions, he manages to choke out: "_Alec_...is on..._a celibacy kick_?"

I don't get a chance to nod before Demetri is off laughing. He's absolutely howling, clinging to the stone wall to keep him upright. Any time he manages to meet my face, he breaks down in fresh hysterics.

"Well, aren't you just so mature?" I say curtly, irritated by Demetri's reaction. I aim a fierce kick to his gut, which he dodges with ease.

"Oh!" He gasps, managing to contain himself for a few seconds, long enough to grind out anoth sentance.

"It's just...I never thought the words _Alec_ and _celibacy_ would find their place in the same sentance!"

He dashes away before he can bust up laughing all over again, stirring dust particles, my annoyed growl echoing after him.

vVv

I decide to hunt down Alec again. He said he was going back to his bedroom for a while for some down-time...which I took to mean he was gonna work off some sexual frustration and I'd really be better off kickin' it back in my own room if I wanted to keep up the new, apparantly _hilarious_ vow of celibacy.

I frown again, deciding to change my clothes to something more casual. I slip into a worn pair of jeans, a black tank top and one of Alec's discarded (alright...stolen...) white shirts. The shirt looks a bit ridiculous being so big and all, so I grab the ends and knot them together at my ribs so it looks like more of a fashion statement than a wardrobe disaster.

Or so I _hope_, anyway.

After a hundred and one years of slouching around watching Friends reruns on TV, I decide to go find Alec. But when I turn the corner to his room and pick up on a familliar scent, I realise that Alec is not alone.

My stomach churns, and my face twists in pain. Even from here, I can smell Annalise's poisonous fragrance.

Breathing hard and knuckling my eyes to chase away the tears that won't come, I lean weakly against the wall. God. Fucking God.

_Oh fuck_.

I have half a mind to storm into his bedroom, claw them both to pieces and mail them to the four fucking corners of the earth. However, the other, fragile half of my mind urges me to let myself crease up in pain and accept the betrayal.

I'm such a fucking _fool_. _Why_ did I let myself trust him all over again, after everything? Am I so fucking emotionally retarded that I can't accept what's bad for me? My throat closes.

Suddenly, there's a hiss. Not a _yes, right there!_ hiss that I've heard so many times, but a furious, angry _hiss_.

I freeze.

"That wasn't nice, Alec, what you did to me," Annalise drawls from inside the bedroom.

"Did I ever claim to be nice?" Alec responds, sounding half bored, half on the verge of killing something.

Annalise makes a sound of disdain. "So. The little runt took you back, did she? I can smell her disgusting scent all over you. _Pitiful_."

Frowning, I pluck my tank top and hold it towards my nose, sniffing. Do I smell bad? I don't think I smell bad.

_Oh my God_, my mind spits at me. _You are THEE biggest shit-headed retard I've ever met! _THIS_ is seriously what you're focusing on right now?_

"_Don't_, touch me," Alec growls. There's the sound of stone-on-stone, and I guess he shoved her away. "And _don't_ you _dare_ speak about Phoenix that way. She is worth a hundred pathetic skanks like you and nothing less."

My heart swells.

"You don't mean that," Annalise purrs.

"You don't _get_ it, do you?" Alec says, sounding incredulous. "You are worth less than the dirt beneath my shoes. You're not even _worth killing_, and that is truly saying something."

A low growl. "Alec-"

"Leave this place," Alec says. His tone is calm, eerily so. So quietly confident that it gives the impression he could juggle all the planets one-handedly. It's a voice that sends shivers trembling up my spine. "Leave Volterra. Fuck it, leave Italy. If I so much as catch a whiff of your scent on _my territory_ again, I _will_ kill you."

"You won't," Annalise hisses. "You _want_ me alive. You're not going to kill me."

Alec gives a light laugh, another eerie-sounding chuckle. "Won't I?"

I leap backwards in shock, ducking around the corner again, when there's an enormous crash. Plaster and stone and wood explode as Alec throws Annalise through his bedroom door. Her scantily-clad body crashes against the opposite wall as clouds of dust and residue flood the hallway. She sags to the ground, clutching her throat where I assume he grabbed her.

Alec steps out, looking like a God emerging from his path of destruction. He comes to stand over Annalise, arms folded in distaste.

"You know, I _really_ wish you hadn't provoked me into acting so rashly," he sighs, sounding dissappointed. "Not only am I going to need a new door, but I was trying to make a change. Become a better person, you know? But I suppose you just push all the wrong buttons."

"You rat bastard," Annalise chokes, trying to manouvre herself to stand. Alec scoffs and lifts a booted foot. Placing the sole of his shoe against her bare shoulder, he shoves her back down again. She gasps as she hits the ground again, staring up at her oppressor with baleful eyes.

"Get out of my sight," Alec sneers, sounding disgusted. This time he allows her to scramble to her feet. She heads in the opposite direction from me, looking appalled.

"Oh," he calls lightly. She pauses. "A word to the not-so wise. If I ever hear that you've been talking shit about _my mate_, I will cause you such agony that you'll _wish_ you were going through the change again."

Annalise wastes no time in making an exit. As soon as she scrambles around a corner, I make my prescence known.

"You know, you could have roughed her up a _little_," I announce, stepping into Alec's line of view. "I wouldn't have minded."

Alec looks up at me, shocked. I think he expects me to be angry, judging by the nervousness plain across his face. When he observes my calm exterior, he relaxes, his shoulders untensing.

"Loud crashes are one thing," he smiles, beckoning me invitingly. I walk to him, into the clouds of dust. "But I doubt the remaining guests would tolerate tortured screaming. We'd never see any of them again."

"I wouldn't have complained," I grin. I hop into Alec's open arms, clenching my legs around his hips, throwing my arms around his neck. He leans me against the newly-damaged wall, stroking my face tenderly.

"Thank you," I murmur, kissing his soft angel pout. He smiles against my lips

"Don't mention it," he says gently, nuzzling my neck. "I owe you a lot more."

We continue kissing softly. Suddenly, he breaks away.

"Hold on, I've been _looking_ for this shirt!"

"Shhh! Shut up and stop ruining the moment."

**Okay, this is THE LAST flashback chapter. I swear. I promise. I hope.**

**Also, it's true about Alec's pout. Cameron Bright's lips are so cute that they're in a permenant sexy pout :P**


	28. Dirty Work

**Oh goodness, badness and all things inbetween, all the compliments I've been getting regarding this fic are making me blush.**

**Also, I'm sorry that updates are becoming fewer and further between but believe it or not, I DO have something resembling a life and we've just been told that my brother and all his idiot posse are having their asses dragged to court because of one fool who up and died, so I'm not too thrilled at the minute.**

_I need, someone,_

_Young willing and able,_

_You need, someone,_

_Old enough to know better,_

_I want you to, do my dirty work..._

My lips curl down into a frown when I thread my fingers through Alec's only to realise that both of us are wearing fitted leather gloves. Alec gives my shrouded fingers a squeeze, but seems to realise what's pissing me off. I wanted to feel his skin.

I realised something pretty damn fast as we got ready to set off and Alec and I dressed (in seperate rooms) into our respective uniforms: These clothes leave absolutely _everything_ to the imagination. Seriously, this cloak is every slut's worst nightmare. Not that I'm calling myself a slut by any means, but I _do_ like to show a little skin. Especially now that any and all skin I choose to put on display is clear and smooth and perfected.

_These_, are nun clothes.

Alec doesn't seem to agree. In fact, he seems a little relieved that our clothes are keeping us at a figuritive distance. He's been getting hard-ons like a fourteen year old boy in a strip club and since I spend ninety nine percent of my time with him, he doesn't have the means or the oppertunity to get himself some relief.

And is it a teensy bit cruel of me to admit that I'm somewhat enjoying his discomfort?

"It's only for a couple of days," Alec says to me when we're all kitted up and waiting to leave in his bedroom. My frown deepens and I lean my face against his to feel some semblance of skin-on-skin contact.

Alec's soft lips drag with no friction against my cheek, and my fingers comb smoothly through his hair. His purr tickles my cheek.

"A couple of days too long," I complain. Honestly, I'm only really complaining for the fun of complaining. I _am_ irritated at the lack of contact the next week is going to have, but I'm also so jittery and excited and plain out _terrified_ by what's to come and what's expected of me that I could traipse out wearing a plastic bag and not think twice about it.

Alec smiles. "Nervous?"

"Of course not," I fib. I want to toy with the belt of jeans, but through his thick cloak I can't _find it._

"Liar," Alec breathes, making the tiny hairs along the back of my neck stand up and do the Mexican wave. I shiver deeply, and Alec's arms around me hold me even tighter against his body. I can feel light trembles swimming through my limbs as my arms twine around his neck. As soon as my lips touch his, there's a loud, forceful knock at the door.

"Whatever you two are up to in there, throw some clothes on and come on out! It's time to go," Felix calls crassly. I'm _so_ fucking glad that Demetri knows how to keep his mouth shut. Nobody else knows that we're not having sex, apart from Chelsea and the Elders. If Felix knew, the teasing and taunting would be merciless.

I growl deeply, turning my head to glare at the closed door. Alec nuzzles my temple, remarkably composed.

"None of that, now," Felix says, sounding as if he's wearing a face-splitting grin. I feel Alec's body tense. "You can fuck eachother stupid when we get home."

"_Okay_!" Alec snaps suddenly, teeth baring together in frustration.

Well, maybe _not_ so composed. Felix tuts teasingly outside the door, but things the better over crossing Alec and wanders off to join Jane and Demetri, who I assume are waiting for us.

Alec's glare is much fiercer than mine. I squeeze his hand to regain his attention.

"Shall we?" I ask.

Alec's head turns back to mine, face softening. His hands move up my fully covered body to cup my face. Thumbs stroke simultainiously over my cheeks and jaw, brushing over my bottom lip. I inhale sharply, eyes sliding shut; I can taste him in the air.

Alec leans his face towards mine again, and his lips cover mine.

This kiss is full of want and craving on both sides. Within seconds, our bodies start rocking together, rubbing and pushing and _fuck_. One of my hands starts tugging at his hair, the other scratches against his covered shoulder. One of his hands leaves my face so that his arm can slip around my waist and pin me as close to him as possible, almost lifting me off the ground. Our tongues do battle, twisting and sliding together as our lips mould. Our bodies melt against one another. Alec groans into my mouth, and I whimper, a sound from the back of my throat.

We finally break the kiss, clinging to eachother and breathing hard. Teeth tug at lips, nipping, drawing them in and sucking. It's me that finally has to distance our bodies, my hand spread against Alec's chest, my lips tingling. I shudder, trying to shake off the haze of lust. Alec grins weakly when my hand fists his cloak above his heart and I press myself back against him.

"You're good at that," I breathe, inhaling that addicting scent of his one last time before we seperate again, the only form of contact lingering between us is our hands, clasping tightly, fingers trembling.

"I'm glad," Alec replies, visibly trying to compose himself before we head for the door. "That kiss has to last us a week."

vVv

They're so confident, so erethreal. Almost unreal. The four of them walk at a smooth, leisurely pace, looking utterly invincible. They look like they could crush the world in the palm of their gloved hands. I understand the overly large hoods now - the air of menace around them is unnerving. My own hood is up, my own pace matching theirs step for step, and yet I feel like an incapable child in their prescence. I feel the way I am – young and naive and inexperienced. Walking between Alec and Felix seems to dwarf me completely. Jane walks in the front with her brother at one side and Demetri at the other. She's the spokesperson for our group, mainly because she loves her own voice, and because she's our main aggressor. Every vampire in the world that doesn't live under a rock knows about her power. She's threatening, which is what we need.

In a small-numbered situation, Felix does the hands-on work for her while she cripples the opponant if need be. But in a large group assault like the one we're heading into, she might have to fight if thngs don't go the way we plan. I know the plan: Felix and Demetri hold off the physical attacks as best they can with Jane as a rapid-fire back up while Alec works his mojo and puts them all on their backs. He releases the leader for a probably painful interrogation and I, using my newly-discovered gift, hunt out the potentially gifted vampire.

That is, if there actually _is_ one.

Jane leads, but we're following Demetri, who, thanks to a nomadic spy who likes to gain favour with the Volturi, has seen a few coven members at a distance.

There's about a foot's worth of distance between Alec and I, which _does not_ sit well with me. Demetri explained to me again and again why such nonchalance is absolutely neccisary. Alec is the golden goose in this attack. Without his assistace, there's a very high casualty risk. If any opponant even _guessed_ at the bond between us, they would take advantage of my youth and attack without hesitation, killing me to get to him.

I guess spending even more physical time apart is worth staying aliveish, but _still_!

For a while we walk in silence, everyone absorbed by their own thoughts, probably plotting battle plans and traps or thinking up what-if scenarios, or wondering what selection of blood everybody at home will be having for dinner tonight.

Guess which thoughts are mine.

We glide through the most uninhabited parts of the countryside, sweeping through fields and meadows and roads with ease. Nobody but me hesitates at streams and rivers – they wade through without a second thought. I think I'm the only one who cringes at being totally sopping wet. It doesn't seem to bother anybody else.

After a couple hundred miles of mute walking, my boredom starts grating on my patience – what little there is to be grated on.

Big surprise.

"Let's play a game," I suggest. Demetri throws me an incredulous look.

"Are you serious?" Jane snaps. She turns her gaze to her brother. "Is she serious?"

"What? This is boring. I'm bored. I want to do something."

Felix chuckles, shaking his head inside his huge cloak.

"We _are_ doing something," Jane seeths. "We are going to punish criminals that put our entire existance at risk. Is that too dull for you?"

"Well..."

Alec reaches over to touch my back, warning me that now would be a good time to shut my wordhole. Jane takes her duties a _tad_ too seriously. Jeez, she's a mini-Caius in the making.

I sigh. "Well, are we almost there?"

"We're not even out of Italy yet!"

"If you start the whole _are we there yet_ routine, Nyx, I will pick you up and _throw_ you there," Demetri says evenly.

"_Enough_," Alec growls deeply, his eyes cutting sharply to Demetri on his sister's right.

We all fall into a sulky silence. For the first time, I'm _glad_ that my cloak is up, because I can hide my little grin. Wow. Despite all their untouchable attitude, the Volturi are such sensitive little dears that I can send them pouting in only four sentances. Felix is the only one grinning alongside me, and even his is a little menacing.

Huh. So it's gonna be one of _those_ trips, then.

vVv

After three hundred and fifty billion lifetimes, we make it out of Italy. Then comes the downpour.

You'd think that an almost inch-thick allover cloak would do a good job of protecting me from the rain. Of course not. Like a sponge or a towel, it absorbs the heavy rain in double-quick time. I'm left soggy and shivering, more out of disgust than chill. My dress drips. My hair sticks infuriatingly to whatever skin it can find. My shoes (my Doc Martens - my best kept secret - hidden under piles of fabrics) squelch through the mud despite my light, barely-there steps. I resist a whimper, knowing the toil it will take to clean them. I adore them too much to replace them – a new pair is _not an option_.

Despite the fact that it's hot out, the rain is unrelenting. With the rain cool and the air hot, I feel like I'm suffocating inside a steam room.

It's the same for the others as it is for me. They don't seem to mind walking in living wetsuits – or at the least, very used to it. I glance sidewas at Alec, who smiles reassuringly at me, attuned to my distaste. His white face is dripping, drops of rain rolling off his skin and onto his soaked clothes. His hair is slick with rain, almost black, and his bangs swing into his eyes with every step.

He looks beautiful.

As my eyes catch hot rain sliding off his chisled jaw, my stomach clenches. I feel a warm, all _too_ comfortable pulse between my legs.

I force my gaze away as quickly as I can. Damn him and his seductive looks! I glare at the soggy ground, catching the reflection of my bright red eyes in a small, rippling puddle.

Night falls. The rain ceases. We keep travelling. Demetri does me a favour and initiates some light conversation. I don't say anything, I just listen. Though being in the deep shroud of night does ease my nerves some, I can't help but feel tense. Nervous. Like it's my first day of school all the fuck over again. I feel like I want to wheel around and race home.

Huh.

Maybe I'm so antsy because, for the first time since I was sired, I'm away from Volterra?

I still remember nothing outside the wretched city. It's high, protective walls are all I know. Danger is what lurks outside. Vampires that want to hurt me. Being a Volturi soldier places an automatic target on my head. Being attached to the vicious, infamous, worldly feared and worshipped Witch Twin only enlarges that target. Wanted: Dead or Somewhat Alive. I'm the vampire world's biggest controversy – sired by Romanians, living and loving with the Volturi.

These vampires we're going to kill are Romanian followers. Could being of Romanian blood – figuatively, anyway – save my life? Or would it make me the primary target?

The sun rises as we near a bustling city. The ground is still damp from the rain, but the sun is making a job out of drying that right up. In fact, the sun is so big and bright in the cloudless sky that the slightest turn of our heads send glittering rainbows reflecting all over everywhere.

Damn. I _still_ can't get used to the whole sparkling shit. _What the fuck kind of vampires are we_?

"Shit," Felix complains as the sun rises higher and higher. "We'll never get through the city without being seen. Should we go around?"

Alec's eyes swerve down to me, sodden and bloody miserable. "Let's hunt," he suggests.

"We can rest for a while," Jane tacks on. "Until the sun isn't so bright. Let's find a house and eat the inhabitants."

"We look like fucking Grim Reapers," I sigh. "What if we get seen?"

"We often travel through cities like this," Demetri says. "We know how to conceal ourselves."

"We're not all amatures," Jane says snobbily, lifting her pert nose in the air. My lips curl back, revealing my teeth.

"Sister," Alec says warningly. His tone is a lot gentler than it was when he addressed Demetri. Jane doesn't look at him – she only huffs and starts making her way towards the city. I almost pity the humans she finds for dinner.

"We could make it look like one big accident," Demetri muses, discussing our options for hiding the remains of our feast. "Or, if we split up, it could be more subtle."

"Let's do that, then," Jane drawls. "We'll meet at the opposite edge of the city at sundown."

She takes off then, moving so fast towards the city that she looks like she's flying. Felix is right on her heels within moments, his footsteps almost thunderous compared to Jane's inaudible footfalls. Demetri turns to Alec and I.

"You can babysit her," he says loftily. Then, a wide, worryingly evil smirk spreads across his face. "I gather that I don't have to tell you two to be good...?"

Alec's snarl totally overshadows mine, and with a harsh laugh, Demetri spins on his heel and follows Jane and Felix into the city. The sun is beginning to crack through the clouds as it rises, so we'll have to move our asses into gear if we want to remain unseen.

Alec slips his hand into mine now that we're free to do so. I turn to him with a grin on my face.

"Thirsty, Nyx?"

Now that the freaking cavalry have advanced without us, I tug my damp hood down and wriggle my shoulders. "Aren't I always?"

Alec lets me tow him towards the city. "Very true. I don't know why I even asked."

vVv

Alec takes the lead once we're in the depth of the city, guiding me as he weaves through buildings, as subtle and deadly as a snake through undergrowth. The sunlight is so bright and beaming that it's almost heavy, flooding the streets with light. Alec hisses. A couple of humans begin to emerge from their houses, preventing a silent escape. We become trapped in a shaded alleyway behind a block of houses.

"Shit," Alec spits, his lips curling sown in displeasure. "We're going to have to wait until the sun shifts or the clouds come out."

"Not amatures, huh?" I grumble. I haven't fed in almost sixteen hours and it's wearing me down. Not just physically, but mentally too. As Alec tucks us away into a small alcove, I groan.

The surrounding people spring to life, dragging their tired carcasses out of bed to face the day; rousing the kids for school; shoving various foodstuffs down the gullet of their blood-rich throats until they're full and _satisfied_.

Hundreds of heartbeats pulse gallons of thick, viscous blood through warm bodies. I can tell that the house we're near has four inhabitants: a woman, two children and an adolescent. They bustle about inside their cosy little home, totally oblivious to my torment and craving _just metres_ away from them. I feel a pulsing desire of an entirely more primative kind skyrocketing through my nerves, burning and clawing away at my self control. It's absolutely fucking maddening.

I don't recognise my own feral growl until Alec drags my body closer to his. His arm encircling my waist tightens so my side is pressed to his front. His free hand grips the side of my face, holding it to his. His satin soft lips touch my ear. _Ugh_, how can his touches feel so scorchingly passionate even when he's restraining me?

"_Easy..._" He breathes. "We'll feed soon..."

I grip his cloak at his stomach, and I hear a small tear. Whoops, my bad. Alec doesn't seem bothered, and he doesn't try to budge my hand. Instead, he leans forward into my touch.

I bite down savagely into my lip, swallowing a string of cuss words as well as a pathtic whimper.

He is making this whole celibacy deal _really_ fucking hard to stick to.

I remain still, breathing hard through my mouth, until Alec's body unclenches a notch.

"Are you okay?" He asks. His voice sounds strained.

_NO!_ "Yeah," I mumble.

I turn in his grasp, pressing my back to his torso. Breathe. Just breathe.

Alec rests his head on mine. He leans back against the wall, cradling my body against his. "What do you think of your first mission?" He mumbles into my hair.

I sigh deeply. "When I'm not bored, I'm frustrated out my ass. I want to go the fuck back to Volterra."

"In time, Nyxie," Alec says, sounding as though he's smiling. "We're not in the midst of the action yet. Just go with the flow."

I snort. "When did you become such a fricking optimist?"

Alec shrugs those strong shoulders of his. "I'm not entirely sure."

I drop my head back further into the crook of his neck, sighing. I shift my weight to my left foot, mainly out of need for some movement, only to get the lace of my dress caught in the zip of my boot.

I hiss fiercely, kicking out to free it. There's another shredding sound.

"_Fuck_!"

"Shh!" Alec hisses, tightening his grip again. "Humans can be irritatingly receptive."

"I can't even stand still in this thing! How the fuck am I meant to _fight_ in it?" I spit, trying to maintain just a wee bit of dignity by refraining from sulking. Alec nudges me lightly.

"Trust me. Unless each and every one of us is incapacitated – which I _highly_ doubt will happen-"

"Again," I tack on.

Alec scowls. "_Again_," he corrects through gritted teeth. "You will not be fighting at all."

My mouth pops open audibly, and I whirl around. "_What_? Why the fuck not?"

"You're a newborn," Alec says gently, his voice patient. "You're still a slave to your most primal instincts and that will get you killed. Do you think I can deal with that?" His voice becomes harsher and deeper and his teeth become bared.

This nudges my temper. "Well, you might have to," I retort, my voice a tad sharper than I intend. "I am _not_ sitting this out."

"Oh yes you most certainly are. This is not up for discussion, do you understand?" Alec snaps. I snarl. The sound echos in the confined space and Alec's eyes flare.

"_Shh_!" He hisses.

My breaths are shallow, passing through openly clenched teeth, each breath sounding more of a growl than the last. Alec grips tighter.

"Come on, come on, we're late already!" A female voice calls. It's the woman from inside the house, ushering her children out and away. The teenager grunts. The children whine. But then they're gone.

Alec pulls me out of the alcove, his jaw set in annoyance. "Come on. We can stay inside until the sun goes away."

Seething and silent, I follow him inside when he finds the back door and, with one quick jerk, breaks the lock and lets us in.

We enter a painfully garish kitchen-dining room. Lime green walls and tangerine tiles assault my superior eyesight. Jeez, pick up a fucking paint catalogue, _please_. Maybe this crazy woman is sick of herding three kids around and is trying to blind them or some shit.

"Humans," Alec mutters gruffly to himself. "Fucking colourblind fools."

I fold my arms tightly, eyes slitting. "And so what's your next grand plan, oh Master Alec? Anesthetize me until the whole deal's over and done with and then haul me home and prattle on about how it was for my own fucking good?"

"If that's what it takes, then _yes_," he hisses furiously.

I throw my hands up in exsasperation. Christ above, why is he being so fucking _difficult_?

"Then what's the fucking point, huh?" I fist clumps of my damp hair in frustration, feeling the urge to rip and tear shit up. My fingers are fucking _itching_ for it. "Why am I even _here_? Why can't I just go home and save you the liability?"

"Aro thought it was time for you to learn some field experience. Obviously, he was mistaken," Alec snaps, his tone biting like the snap of a whip. Upon every word, he steps closer until we're almost nose to nose. My responsive growl vibrates in my throat – the proximity unnerves me, despite the fact that I was happily curled in his arms not ten minutes ago.

Time's just fucking _freakyshit_ that way.

Using all my strength, I raise my hands to his chest and shove him away. Of course, this dimwitted brain of mine tends to foget just how _strong_ all my strength is, and Alec crashes through two walls before skidding against the floor and coming to a stop in the human's aggrivatingly bright living room. Wood, plaster, metal and dust are like the freaking yellow brick road in Nazi-land: a real path of destruction.

Alec sits up, looking dazed. With wide eyes and an open mouth, he shakes his head rapidly from side to side, freeing his hair of dust and grit before looking back to me, wearing a total shockface. The dark colour of his uniform only worsens the appearance of the debris covering him.

He springs to his feet as I catapult forward in an unthinking haze of newborn rage. My reaching hands catch his shoulders as I leap, and we both crash back to the floor, smashing a stained coffee table to splinters in our wake.

I clamp my thighs around his hips and pin his shoulders to the floor, snarling. My nails claw at his throat, leaving scratch marks that heal almost instantly. Alec yowls, bucking beneath me to try to throw me off. This enrages me further, and my nails dig deeper, leaving deep gashes in his skin as I try to wrench his head from his shoulders.

My rage is powerful, sure. But Alec is experienced and has fought far more worthy opponants. It's infuriatingly easy for him to flip us over and immobilize me. It's my turn to buck and thrash, to no avail. Alec pins my ankles with his feet and my wrists with his hands. Despite my strength, he's heavier than me and by leaning his weight on me there's virtually nothing I can do but writhe in fury. Through the maze of my anger I realise that even if I could meet his eyes, in this state I would never be able to harness my power properly.

Alec seems to have lost his own temper as he shh's me and murmurs soothing words. His grip on me loosens gradually as I quieten, breathing hard. He leans his cheek against my chest. It makes me a little tense knowing just how close his teeth are to my throat, but after eons my body relaxes and Alec sighs.

My common sense returns to me, and I cringe in embarrassment.

"I'm sure not going to miss being a newborn," I mumble.

Alec gives one chuckle, deciding it safe to release me as he lifts his weight away, supporting himself on his elbows.

"I'm sorry," he says, his eyes big and sincere. "I should have known better than to goad you like that."

I sigh too, pressing my lips together. "I'm sorry I tried to claw your head off."

And then Alec moulds his lips to mine in a soft kiss. "I'm sorry I lost my temper with you."

I let out a hummed breath, reaching up to scoop a fistful of his gorgeously soft hair. Damn, that's nice. It feels like my fingers are threading through silk, and sooths me further. I lean my face into his neck, sniffing his scent. He nudges the top of my head, touching his lips to my hair.

"I don't think we're ever going to _not_ argue," I grimace. Alec laughs.

"Perhaps not, but I don't mind."

I frown. Pulling away slightly, I glance up at his face. "Really? That's kinda weird, man."

"No it isn't," Alec smiles. "There's passion when we fight."

And damn, does he give a fucking nice ass demonstration of passion when he pulls my lips to his yet again and kisses me deeply, his tongue working that magic that makes my head spin. When he pulls away again, I grip his arm.

A week, huh?

"That's where the fire is," he tells me, eyes blazing. He barely gets to finish his sentance before I drag his mouth back to mine, continuing our tongues' battle for dominance with gusto.

And it happens the way it usually happens. Our bodies begin moving together almost instinctually, rubbing and pushing for contact between these thick clothes. I break the kiss so I can ravage his neck, tongue and teeth and lips, until he gasps and moans loudly. His hand slips inside my cloak and begins massaging my breast through my dress. Tingles of arousal flush through my body, making me shudder. I whimper – it's been weeks since he's touched me like this.

But that was my decision, wasn't it?

_Fuck me. I am just so fucking twisted in the head._

I barely react when I feel his cock become stiff beneath his uniform. This has been happening so often lately that it's almost routine.

Alec kisses my jaw while my nails rake through his hair and against his neck – far more gentle this time. I can feel his full hardness pressing against my, ahem, _area_. I shift without thinking, rubbing against him. He growls, kissing my lips again while he grinds his hips to mine.

And _oh fuck_.

He starts a rythym, rubbing his restrained cock into my core for _some_ form of release while I hiss. My clit is being directly stimulated and _fuck_ if I don't like it. I start returning in kind, rolling my hips up against his and making him growl again. His hands somehow manage to overthrow all my skirts and my cloak, and slide up inside my dress, greeting the skin of my thighs like an old friend.

We grind on eachother like turntables, both of us groaning and grunting softly as our lips hunt along eachother's exposed flesh. Teeth nip and tug. Tongues swirl, licking and teasing. I groan. I begin to feel a familliar craving, an urgency. Alec's hands find my ass, slipping inside the soft silk of my underwear to squeeze and stroke. Our grinding takes on a faster tempo.

Alec moves suddenly, sitting up and pulling me into his lap. He shakes his gloves off with impatience, and moans as my weight presses down on his groin.

"_Fuck_," he moans, one arm wrapped tightly around my waist while the other braces him against the floor. He bucks upwards between my legs, making me cry out. I roll my hips, rubbing down hard against him.

"_Oh_ yes, _yes_, _il mio amante_," Alec gasps, grinding upwards roughly against my core. I moan, rubbing down against his erection with as much strength as I can muster without sending us both through the already damaged floor.

Our movements become frantic.

"Alec," I breathe against his neck.

We shift.

His hand ventures. In front. Lower.

I find the spot between his neck and shoulder that he loves, sucking down hard.

I buck sharply when his thumb finds my thrumming clit inside my underwear, settling into a stroking pattern that has me gasping. His fingers slide against my slick folds.

"So wet," he moans.

I move back a little so I can reach my hand down at his crotch. He hisses as I squeeze.

His index finger begins to circle my entrance, sending thrills through my midsection. But now, my damn thoughts are catching up with me. My eyes are wide and staring at nothing, my lips parted. And reality chooses this most scrumptious of moments to crash through me as Alec slips the tip of his finger into my pulsing entrance.

I place both hands against his shoulders, pushing back.

"Stop, wait," I manage to gasp out. Alec realises at once.

His face softens from the determined, lustful expression he had been wearing. He removes his hands gently and leans his forehead against mine.

"It's okay," he murmurs, holding me against him.

We stay that way for what feels like a long time.

"I have a surprise for you at home," Alec says softly. Let me tell ya, his voice is the _only_ thing about him that's anywhere near soft at the minute.

I perk up instantly. "Awh, don't tell me there's a surprise at home when I've got to wait a whole week to go there! That's just freaking cruel!" I complain, sagging against him. "Well, if your plan is to have me thoroughly distracted during the next week, it's gonna go off without a hitch."

Alec smirks. "No. You'll likely be quizzing me for the whole week and will have me tearing my hair out by the time we even reach our destination. I think I'll save us both the trauma and tell you now."

Yay! Wait...sudden hesitation. Fuck. "Is it a good surprise?"

"Certainly."

I grin widely. Damn, I hope it's a present. What? I _like_ presents!

"Alright, tell me!" I demand.

Alec smiles again. "Two plane tickets to Paris, valid any time within the next twelve months. I thought..." His thick lashes drop over his eyes as he glances at me, looking adorable. My belly flips. "I thought that when...when you're ready, for _everything - _ breaking the celibacy and such...well, I thought we'd go then."

My lips part further, speechless. Alec watches my face, eyes big and beseeching under those soft black lashes of his.

Fucking _wow_.

I thought he'd forgotten Paris. Hell, _I'd_ forgotten Paris and the promise he'd made to take me there, about the smell of coffee and the fancy-ass hotels.

"For real?" I manage to whisper, staring in disbelief at his angelic face.

Alec nods, cupping my face in his now regloved hands. "When you're ready, we'll go. Just say the word."

This reminds me of the other words he wants me to say.

"Don't rush into anything," Alec says quickly, as if he's reading my mind. "I don't want you to regret anything."

I lean my face into his, overwhelmed by my pansy-assed emotions. Fuck damn. I try to keep my voice steady as I whisper a feeble, "thank you."

He gives me a soft kiss as I toy with his Volturi necklace. "I love you," he whispers. "I do. And it's so strange."

I break the kiss with a snort. "_You're_ very strange. What do you expect?" I tease, the tip of my tongue trapped playfully between my teeth, running my fingers up and down the chain. Alec pretends to be offended.

"Oh, look who's _talking_...what?"

I stare at his necklace, dumbfounded. With the greatest delicacy I can manage, I lift his tiny charm up on the pad of my index finger. I breathe in sharply, shocked.

"What?" Alec asks again.

"It's a lock," I mumble, scrutinizing it with sharp, shocked eyes. The small silver lock has a real keyhole, and it's decorated ornately with little ridges and design.

"Oh, yeah," Alec says, brow furrowing as he glances down at his own charm. "Aro had it crafted when I was first initiated into the Guard, saying something about how when I paralyse people, I lock them in place, lock all their senses away from them. Why?"

With a totally unbecomingly, stupified look on my face, my fingers hunt down my own charm and lift it to show him my key. Alec's smile widens, dazzling and bright. He laughs out loud.

"Aro has a sense of humor," he says, sounding happy. "He did something similar with Chelsea and Afton's charms. Because of her gift, Chelsea has a cupid's arrow. Afton grew up to be a soldier, but first he was a huntsman for his family, the best in his area. He was knows for miles as the best archer in his county. His charm is a tiny bow."

That's so freaking cute that I grin like a fool, finally realising why the girls had such a giddy reaction to my charm. Alec is smiling too, his eyes all lit up. I kiss him again, pulling his body flush against mine, feeling a strange, airy lightness inside that I can only laugh at.

There's a click. Ironically enough, I identify it quickly as a key in a lock. Alec and I freeze.

"You told me you _had_ your homework," the mother of the house complains, sounding irritated beyond words.

"I thought I did!" A whiny, high voice replies.

"I'm going to be so fucking late," the oldest replies in a growl.

A giggle.

"Watch your language, young man..." his mother snaps. Her voice weakens towards the end of her sentance as she comes across the destruction, courtesy of my temper tantrum.

"What _happened_ here?" She gasps.

The fire returns, and my throat is suddenly scorching. A low, long growl slips between my curled lips. Alec does nothing to restrain me this time, only rubs my back soothingly as my body tenses and curls, my mind priming for the kill.

The woman, in a business suit and high heels, clacks her way into the living room to inspect further damage and finds Alec and I curled around eachother, red eyes blazing. She gasps.

In the same second, I spring.

I catch her by her ribs and we both crash into the staircase. The foundations of the house quake precariously. There's a shrill scream from one of the children as I plunge my teeth into it's mother's throat. Blood explodes into my mouth, cascading over my tongue and down my aching throat. I moan deeply, tightening my grip and snapping bones beneath my fingers.

The other two children come running, and then Alec is on them. Screams die on their lips as he drinks them. As soon as the woman runs dry, I toss her lifeless body aside and spring onto her youngest child, a daughter. The girl shrieks and pounds with tiny fists. Blood stains her school pinafore as her skin whitens, and she dies in terror in my tight grip.

vVv

Only minutes after the fire begins to spread, the feeble construction gives way and the house collapses in on it's self. I'm sure there's a couple of similar scenes throughout the city as our companions find food too.

Alec and I watch gleefully from the shadows as humans rush around in panic. Sirens sound in the distance. I'm sustained, but not full, and as the day progresses Alec leads me to find more food.

Day melts into night again and as the city's police scratch their heads in confusion, we catch up with Jane, Demetri and Felix, waiting for us on the roof of a building on the very outskirts of the city.

"You took your time," Jane says curtly. Alec sighs.

"Cleanups take time, sister."

"I'm sure," she replies snidely. "Let's move."

Demetri leads us until the city is just a memory. He pauses suddenly. "They've moved," he says, face brightening. "We're closer than I thought."

Felix smirks in bloodthirsty anticipation. Despite everything, Alec won't be able to keep me out of the fight if there is one. I'll make it my business to get right into the thick of it, just to show them all that I'm not the incapable little fool they think I am.

"Oh," Demetri says suddenly, halting our advance.

"What?" Felix asks eagerly, just dying to rip some bitches. Jane's soft smile is borderline Hitler-esque.

"They've split up," Demetri confirms. "_Excellent_. We can pick off the ones we need to and have the weaklings lead us to the rest of the clan."

"I can help with that," Jane purrs, smirking. Alec chuckles.

"We can split up too," Felix suggests, his mind descending into plot-mode. He doesn't bother to ask about numbers. No one does. They're all confident that no matter the assault, they can handle themselves.

Me? Ehh, not so much. I'm almost glad when Demetri announces: "Nyx, you'll be coming my way. No recklessness now. Do you hear me?"

I nod mutely. Alec frowns. He doesn't seem to like the idea that he won't be there to keep an eye on me, but he doesn't argue. He'd be vulnerable with me there.

Demetri gives everyone directions towards their targets and they take off into the night without bother. Alec's the only one to pause, giving my hand a firm squeee of reassurance before he whirls on his heel and takes off in the direction of his prey.

"Ready?" Demetri asks, watching me with those knowledgable eyes of his as I stare into the distance.

"Not even a little."

"Good. Let's go."

vVv

"What part of 'not even a little' didn't you understand?" I hiss as I follow Demetri through the countryside, through a sparse forest and over a river.

Suddenly, something at Demetri's waist beeps obnoxiously. I frown as he scoops it up.

"How come you have a pager? Why don't I have a pager?" I demand.

"I have a pager because I need a pager. You would break a pager," he replies absently, checking the screen. "Felix has destroyed two from the coven. He'll be making his way to us now."

I blink. "That was fast."

"Felix is enthusiastic," Demetri grins. "Come on, just up ahead."

"How many?" I ask, feeling nervous thrills pulse through my limbs. My hands are shaking. Fuck. I'm not ready for this shit! I mean sure, I've beheaded a vampire before and dismembered another, but I didn't even have the sense to burn them and then I got my ass kicked by Stefan so I think that cancels out any victory on my part.

"Four. Simple," Demetri scoffs. I eye him incredulously.

"Sure, simple for _you_. What about-"

"Shh!" Demetri hisses suddenly, crouching low. I follow his lead, more out of confusion than anything else. Then I spot what he's sensing.

Four vampires drift through the damp, high grasses, murmuring amongst themselves. Three males, one female. Given that they're Romanian supporters and have a healthy, strong looking woman with them, I doubt they know about the whole slave-keeping situation. I whisper this to Demetri.

"Maybe they do," he replies, his voice hushed. "If any male wants to join them, he has to present a dowry, a young woman to add to their ever-expendable collection."

My nose wrinkles in disgust. "Do you think...do you think they've got more slaves now?" I ask.

"Probably," Demetri muses, eyes following those four vampires as they cross the field, totally oblivious to our prescence. Demetri rises and I follow suit as he drifts after them, utterly at ease. I envy his composure. I'm focusing all my energy into keeping a blank expression, and keeping my gift at the ready if need be. I feel like my heart should be throbbing fiercely, my face pinkened, but my immortal body gives no hint of my nerves being squeezed to a pulp.

They freeze when they spot us, not running (as if there would be any point), not scrambling, not straightening themselves up.

Demetri and I halt when there are about fifteen yards between us. I remove my hood when Demetri does, and for the first time I wish I didn't have to. It can't be good publicity to look like a child when you're a Volturi Guard. I feel exposed with it off, vulnerable to their eyes and hands and teeth. Demetri breaks the weighted silence with ease.

"Are you aware that you've broken the law?" He asks breezily, completely in his element. I couldn't be further out of mine. My element is a fucking speck in the distance at this point.

"How?" The female hisses, her tight, dark curls quivering.

Demetri rattles off a professional sounding accusation. Something about treason and the size of their coven. They look appalled. Not horrified, oh-God-we're-totally-fucked appalled. They look pissed.

But Demetri's ready.

One of the males, a redhead, launches himself towards us in a flurry of snarling. Demetri meets his attack midway, slipping behind him professoinally. He pins the man's arms behind his back and drives his knee into the bottom of the attacker's spine. He wrenches. Hard.

The male's scream of pain is cut off when Demetri pitches his head from his shoulders with his teeth. With a swift tug, the decapitated vampire looses his arms and the rest of his body collapses forward into the grass. I'm morbidly fascinated by the fingers twitching and scratching along the ground and edge forward for a closer look.

The next attack is for me.

The remarkably fast downfall of their covenmate doesn't preturb the others in the least. Another male lunges for me, pinning me to the ground.

A tiny, smug voice at the back of my head whispers _Alec was right_. I sctrabble furiously beneath my attacker, writhing and bucking and snarling. He kneels painfully on my stomach and grips my jaw between strong fingers so I can't bite down.

"A newborn," he spits, sounding both disgusted and elated. A newborn means an easy kill for an older vampire. In the same second, the female and the last male vampire tag-team Demetri. More snarls and growls reach my ears.

Through the haze of my rage and panic I try to think back to my training sessions with Felix. Brutal and humiliating though they were, I did pick up on some shit.

Bracing my feet against the ground and focusing all my strength, I grit my teeth in his grasp and launch upwards. In teh same second, he bites into my neck.

I yell in pain as we flip back over my head, crashing against the earth with audible grunts. He lands on his back, and I land on him. Relying on speed now rather than skill, something I do not possess in the slightest, I line my fingers under his jaws and yank fiercely. His head pops off like a soda cap.

Imitating Demetri's methods, I remove the arms and throw them as far as I can. I spring upwards while the body beneath me is still thrashing.

The wild female is perches on Demetri's back as Demetri kicks the male in the stomach and sends him sprawling. With half-hysterical screeches, the woman claws and bites at his throat. Demetri reaches behind, grabbing at her but only ever gettnig a decent grip on her clothes.

Oh, so we're playing piggyback, are we? Well, far be it from me to be excluded from the fun!

I pounce swiftly and perch on _her_ back, with my thighs clenched tight around her waist. I manage to press my feet against Demetri's hips, and with my hands gripping her arms, I shove hard.

Demetri gasps as we land on the ground, her on top of me. I clench my forearm around her neck as tight as I can, growling as she fights against me. My strength is a serious asset right now. I give a shrill yelp of shock when Demetri's foot kicks viciously into the side of her head – all too close to _my_ head – and it breaks away and shoots across into the high grass. The body stops struggling and I shove it off me, shuddering a little.

"_Dude_!" I shriek, hopping to my feet.

Demetri brushed himself down, frowning when he finds his hood torn. "Yes?"

"You almost _kicked_ me!"

"But I didn't," he says, not at all bothered by my ver close encounter with his expensive cross-country travelling shoes. "Now help me gather the remains. If you don't mind, I'd like you to check their minds for anything resembling a formidable talent before we burn them.

"Alright," I reply grudgingly, clasping my fingers together to keep them from trembling. So much for me not fighting. And I did it all in this dress! _Boo_yah!

I take my time probing their still-functioning minds, making sure as sure that they're not gifted before Demetri pulls up the sleeve of his cloak and reveals a shiny silver flamethrower. Alright, I guess I can understand why I didn't get one of _those_ pretty things. Caius probably thought I'd end up setting myself on fire.

He mightn't be entirely wrong.

I stare, enraptured, at the flames that pour from the weapon onto the bodies, leaping high as deep, thick, dark smoke plumes rapturiously from the carcasses.

"Damn, did I miss the action?"

Felix runs quickly and fluidly towards us, an expression of dissappointment clear across his face. Demetri grins at him.

"We took care of it ourselves," he says.

"I got bit," I scowl, feeling the intense sting of venom in the bitemark on my neck. Felix tuts at me.

"That's bad grammer."

"Blow me."

Demetri frowns as he inspects the bite. It's not very deep, but venom did get in.

"It's going to scar," he sighs. My frown deepens. "I did hope I'd be able to get you back to Aro unscathed. He'll be dissappointed."

I couldn't give a flying fuck about Aro's dissappointment at this point. I'm going to have a fucking huge, gaping scar in plain view of everyone. I'm surprised by how much this bothers me. I like scars. Little ones, because they tell a story. I like Alec's scars which are like this one, curves across his shoulders and arms and one on his jaw. Despite Aro's almost obsessive protection of him, he couldn't quite make it out of some brawls. I like running the tip of my fingers across them. Yeah, I like scars, just not on _me_.

"Did you guys hear from the Terrible Twosome?" Felix asks, watching the fire, which is just beginning to die down a little.

"No," Demetri frowns. We start walking in the direction we came from, back to where we split up. "But I can feel them. Alec's facing seven. Jane's just found hers. Some more of the coven joined on to the three I sent her towards and now she's facing five."

Felix – for the first time - doesn't look happy about the hefty numbers the twins are facing. I swallow deeply.

"Six," Demetri says suddenly. "Alec's got six now. Damnit – it's taking too long! I'll bet he's not even using that bloody gift of his. He's being cocky."

My breathing stops. Oh, nice. Alec lectures me about not fighting because he couldn't deal with me getting hurt, and then won't even bother to use his advantage to defend himself!

"We'll assist him first," Felix says. Damn right we will. Swallowing back a growl, I follow the two vampires as they streak through the fields to where Alec is battling his six. I think about Jane and her five.

Jane's a little short shit like me, and she sucks at fighting. Sure, she can initiate some good old fashioned terror into her opponants, but all it takes is one slip up and then she's headless. I imagine Alec's face if Jane got herself hurt because the others were too busy going to help _him._ I'll readily admit that Jane's _not_ my most favourite person in all the world. Far fucking from it! But I care about Alec, and I don't want him to be hurt. Despise Jane though I might, I don't want him to suffer.

We cross the area where we split up and I catch Jane's scent, sweet and pungeant. I vault in the direction of her trail as Felix and Demetri continue following Alec, complaining about how he thinks himself invincible. They don't notice when I break away from them. I grin.

Following Jane's scent is child's play. In only ten minutes, I've reached her destination, and their nest.

I blink. It's a smallish factory building, tarnished and ravaged and abandoned in the arse-end of nowhere. This is where they've been staying? Huh. I shrug. To each his own, I guess. I've been in worse places.

There's a snarl from within, and I spark into action. I rush forwards, jumping high, aiming at a wide hole in the side of one of the walls. I land steadily, crouching in the opening, and observe the scene within.

Jane's perches on an old conveyer belt, surrounded by three beefy-looking vampires. Not quite as big as Felix, but not that far off either. Off in a far corner, there's a furious looking woman with her arms wrapped around a younger boy, holding him against her body protectively. He's slight, with almond-shaped eyes and auburn hair, shaggy and slightly curled. He looks around eleven. His expression is serene, seemingly unbothered by the intrudor.

I'm not exactly sure what the _exact_ age limit is before a young vampire is considered an immortal child. I don't think he qualifies, but it's still a pretty big risk to leave him alive. But before I can make my way over to the pair, Jane spots me.

"You!" She hisses, looking outraged. I grin brightly as every vampire in the room turns to stare at me.

"Hi!" I reply, beaming. "Thought you might need some help."

"Hardly," Jane snarls. As if to prove her point, one of the male vampires suddenly drops to the ground in an unnatural position, looking quite funny – kind of like a shrieking pretzel. A second vampire darts forward and quickly meets the same fate, big hands gnawing at the concrete floor as he thrashes in agony. The third amigo isn't so cocky and remains still, eyes wide and furious.

"Least of all from _you_," Jane hisses at me. "I don't have the time or the patience to babysit a newborn, so _get lost_!"

"_Baby_sit?" I echo, my voice sounding wounded.

Jane ignores me. Suddenly the third vampire circles around her, evading her notice, and springs at her from behind. He knocks them both right off the conveyer belt and the concrete cracks with a horrible, hollow sound that echoes through the whole huge room. A brawl ensues. Just as he manages to straddle her thighs, his torso flings backwards and he holds his head in both hands. His back arches into a painful looking curve, and he screams.

Jane wriggles out from under him and kicks him hard in the chest. He sprawls against the ground, twitching with aftershocks.

The other two vampires charge like rampaging bulls. I decide it's time to step in and lend a hand. She'd do it for me.

Yeah. _Not_.

I land in a crouched position. As soon as the balls of my feet graze the floor, I pounce. I manage to hit the smaller of the two in the back, like a sarcastic little wrecking ball. I somehow manage to find my feet while he crashes into an unsteady stack of rusty pipes. The sound of metal clanging makes me cringe a little. But I don't give him time to right himself and attack again. I leap onto his shoulders, wrapping my irritatingly small hands around his neck.

He rises so quickly that I wobble. He grips my ankles and spins quickly, overthrowing my balance. He flings me away and I skid against the floor, the friction damaging the concrete more so than my skin.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Jane Spider-Manning against a wall, grasping two pipes in her hands and kicking out at her attackers with her feet.

I'll give her one credit: She's a tough little thing. And better than I thought.

My eyes snap sideways as soon as the woman and boy make a move, darting towards the hole in the wall where I entered oh-so suavely. Grinding my teeth together, I get to my feet and break into a sprint towards them.

Something catches me roughly around the waist and I'm spinning again. The built arm releases me and I slam into the side of the conveyer belt , denting it severely. Whoopsies.

There's a familliar sound of stone breaking and my head whips sideways to catch Jane destroying her first opponant. The dismantled body collapses into a twitching pile at Jane's feet. Jane leaps high to avoid another attack, but the vampire I threw into the pipes snags her foot and throws her onto the ground. His huge arm clenches around her torso, pinning her arms to her side. He cups his hand over her eyes, blinding her. I know already that Jane needs to see her prey to inflict the burning on them. She's defenseless.

The second remaining male vampire grins and appears in front of them. Jane's thrashing firecely but it's no good. The second vampire grabs her feet and holds her legs still.

Hmm.

I glare into the eyes of Jane's captor and through the haze of newborn instinct I manage to reach his mind.

No gift. Good.

It takes every ounce of my concentration and energy, but I've managed it before. I flex my puppet's arms and drop Jane. The other vampire releases her legs in confusion, and, now freed, Jane releases her wrath on him. He collapses to his knees, and I use my vampire to rip his head from his shoulders.

Two down.

"Don't need me, huh?" I call to Jane. She only sighs.

She gets to her feet and turns around. She quickly dismembers the vampire under my influence, and piles his remains with the others. I do a quick sweep of their minds to check for powers – a no-show. Jane takes out a gold zippo lighter and drops it onto the spasming remains. Flames _whoomph_ high and she jumps back.

There's a horrified gasp. The woman and boy are still here – they didn't escape after my attack was interrupted. Quickly, they scale the walls for the exit. Jane's full lips twitch into a smirk.

The woman drops first, her body siezing, mouth screaming. The boy pauses, chewing on his lip. He lets himself drop too, down by her side. As soon as he does, I pierce his subconscious, and Jane is on him. The woman flops weakly on the ground, trembling in terror.

Jane wraps one slender arm around his neck and holds one side of his jaw in her hand. Her fingers flex for the takedown.

I find it. A spark.

"Jane _don't_!" I yell. Jane pauses, looking at me incredulously.

"What?" She demands, irritated.

"It's him; he's the one with the gift!" I cry. Jane's eyes flare in realisation.

Someone else's eyes flare too.

There's a gleam of moonlight on the sharp edge of whiteness.

A laboured, loud gasp, and Jane drops the boy. I drop him, too.

He falls to his hands and knees, brathing hard, eyes wide. His guardian, the woman, steps away from Jane's back, brandishing a bone knife.

Looks like this coven was closer to the Romanians than I thought. These knives are rare. Very rare.

Jane's wide eyes stare into my face. Her trembling fingers reach out, gripping nothing but bare air as she falls to her knees, and collapses onto her side, eyes slipping shut.

Red hazes my vision.

All my efforts, _wasted_.

With a feral shriek of rage, I throw myself at the woman. The full newborn madness takes control of my body, and I feel possessed. Somehow in the thick of it, I end up with the knife. I press the sharp side against her bare throat and press down with my hands. It slips through her stone flesh like it was butter, and her head rolls away.

The boy gasps.

I spin to see him pressing himself against the wall, chest heaving with frightened breaths, eyes like saucers. They flick briefly towards the exit.

"Try to escape and I will make your death twice as painful, do you fucking hear me?" I snarl. He makes no move.

I drop next to Jane. She's unconscious, which in it's self is terrifying. This isn't natural. I shake her shoulder as gently as I can while I'm feeling so frantic.

Oh God, oh _God_.

She doesn't respond.

"Jane?" I whisper, my entire body shaking. "Jane? Jane!"

I spot a clean tear in the back of her uniform where the blade sliced into her back. Whimpering, I press my hand against it even though there's no blood to staunch. I need to do _something_.

"Jane? Please Jane," I choke, afraid beyond fucking words but physically not able to move. "I'll never annoy you again if you wake the fuck up _right now_. Punch me in the face, use your gift on me, I don't fucking care. _Just wake up_!"

A whimpered sob catches in my throat and I seek out her hand. It's small and still, like a euthenised puppy. I slip my fingers through hers and grip tight, shaking. "I'm _sorry_," I whimper miserably.

"_Jane_?" A shocked voice chokes. My head snaps up to see Alec, standing in the hold of the wall where I slipped inside, his lips open and eyes wide, staring at his unconscious sister in my arms.

**WHEEEEEEE! Such fun and happy times as usual. **

**By the by, anyone who inboxes me or whatever, please be patient and don't have a shitfit if I don't reply to you at once. Believe it or not, I'm not on Fanfiction every day of my life. If I don't reply, it's because I haven't seen your message yet. I will always reply to any message sent to me. Kay? Breathe, people. I'm not that awesome. **


	29. Monster

**I apologise in advance for Nyx's use of the word chickies. LOLSUCKIT.**

**THIS CHAPTER IS SO INCREDIBLY LONG AND POINTLESS. GOOD GOD. It's got both Alec and Nyx's POVs and oh my God, they both ramble on for an age and a half. Not my fault at all...**

**Also, the song right here suits Alec's POV but not Nyx's. All will reveal it's self. If y'all can be bothered read through it ALL. God, I'm going to check myself into fanfic rehab now. KAYTHNXBYE.**

**(Honestly, words cannot describe how utterly long this chapter is. Y'all might wanna gather some supplies before settling down to read.)**

_That night he caged her, bruised and, broke her,_

_He struggled closer, then he, stole her_

_Violet wrists and then her ankles,_

_Silent Pain..._

Bile springs to the back of my throat, and I swallow it back hastily. I don't know how the fuck to feel, or what to think. When Aro beckoned me aside to gather the only witness to Jane's downfall, I was positive he was going to pop my head right off.

I wouldn't have complained.

My hand, trapped between his larger, far more steady ones, feels numb and ice fucking cold. I can feel my eyes slipping back to black by the second, but for once, I couldn't give a flying fuck. Aro lets my hand slip from between his and flop limply to my side. He touches my shoulder briefly, and I have to dicipline myself not to flinch at the contact.

"Good girl," he murmurs, his voice sounding like he swallowed back ashes and gravel. I can vaguely recall his voice being this way once before, and the memory makes me shiver. "Off you go."

I feel cold all over as I flee Aro's office with my tail between my legs. Another shiver oozes down my spine, making my body quake. I feel fragile. Almost..._human_.

I walk silently back to my bedroom, keeping my ear out for any unwanted company. I hear no one. The house is silent. It's unnatural and eerie. This crazyshit vampire hearing can pick up any sound from here to the reception area, but now? Nothing. I shove my trembling hands into the pockets of my worn old jeans to still them, but it doesn't help. I'm not one for adoring the company, but not hearing the usual hustle and bustle of the household makes me feel isolated and alone, and I don't like it.

I crane my neck around as I reach my door, listening for any noise on the other sound of the house. All I hear is the sluggish flick of pages being turned, the _scritchscritchscritch_ of Aro's old fountain pen, and the absentminded click of a mouse at a computer. I can bet that's Santiago, burying himself in the candyshop land of the internet, trying to forget. Aside from these sounds, there's the tick of clocks, and that's it. Not so much as a freaking sigh. Besides my own, anyway.

Wrapping my arms tightly around my waist, I push my door open and slip inside. I want to curl up under my duvet and _sleep_. I freaking miss sleep. I especially miss the senseless nonsense of my dreams.

Hmm. Maybe I'll try the next best thing.

I rummage through my drawers for my old pair of plaid pyjama bottoms and Alec's shirt. I even manage to draw up a pair of fuzzy purple socks that Corin gave me at the start of last Winter to warm my little human toes in a house with no heating and no fires (for fear of some lost limbs that could be _pretty_ vital for everyday life).

I change out of my loose jeans, black and grey striped t-shirt and grey knitted cardigan (courtesy of the wives. Apparantly they took up knitting to assuage their boredom, the poor dears. So every member of the Guard has a couple of dodgy knitted items better off left alone. I, however, actually _like_ my cardigan and was ever so tempted to beg for some matching socks) into my bedwear and crawl beneath the covers, settling my laptop on my lap to watch a movie through my headphones. I'm tired of being the one typical to destructing the silence. Maybe this once I'll keep quiet.

I pile my many dozens of swansdown pillows up behind me so I can flop back comfortably. As soon as I do, dust particles carrying heady scents burst up around me, and I wriggle my nose at the disturbance. They smell strongly of me – my skin and my hair – but there's a faint undertone of Alec, too, from when this bed was used for far more than chillin' my troubles away.

I sigh deeply as the usual craving sets up home in the useless, empty cavern of my chest. I want Alec here, now. Not just to have his scent or his arms or his scent or his lips, but so I can lean him against me and comb my fingers through his hair, touch his face and banish the hurt away.

The trip home was fucking dreadful, in every sense of the word.

We didn't go to them. They came to us.

When the huge private helicopter that I didn't know existed landed on the high grass of the marshy fields, we were all about ready to tear our hair out. Alec had Jane in his lap, refusing to let anyone else hold her. She was under the influence of his talent, in case she was in any pain, so even if she was to rouse from her frighteningly unnatural unconsciousness, we wouldn't know.

"She can be pissed at me later," Alec said numbly, his voice barely more than a murmur.

We had the gifted boy under tight watch. He'd been wedged uncomfortably between a very tense and pissed off Felix and Demetri – not the nicest situation to be in by any standards. But any time he so much as squirmed, he gets the glaring of a lifetime.

Scary shit.

Afton landed the helicopter professionally. Inside, Heidi and Renata were waiting for us. Felix hopped in first so that Alec could pass Jane's limp form to him. Alec was in right after and laying his sister out on some strange kind of table. The helicopter became pretty cramped, but we managed. Kind of. Heidi and Renata tended to Jane as best they could, but Afton murmured back at them to leave her be. Chelsea would want to be the one doing the mending. So they smoothed her silky blonde hair back and kissed her motionless forehead and came to sulk with the rest of us.

The silence was absolutely painful. Alec's eyes never left Jane. No one dared ask what had happened. The knife that I had snatched up and taken with me in case it could be of any use lay on a chair on it's own. It was like an item of extreme taboo: no one wanted to see it, touch it, or even have it with us, even though there were similar knives at home in Caius's weapon chambers.

Alec's body was totally rigid next to mine. He responded to nothing, even when I tentitively slipped my hand into his and squeezed. He didn't squeeze back. I don't think he even noticed. It was like he wasn't even there. Despite the fact that the helicopter was crammed to the brim with people, I felt hollow and lonesome.

We landed in an isolated hangar on the bare outskirts of Volterra. In the hangar were four more helicopters, a small boat, and a half dozen pint-sized aeroplanes.

We got home fast in four seperate cars. I travelled with Renata and Afton while Alec held Jane on his lap in the back of Felix's borrowed Bentley. When we arrived at the castle, Alec carried her all the way to the infirmary where Chelsea was waiting. He lay her down as gently as he could on one of the beds that I'd once occupied.

Chelsea got right down to work on her. Alec went and paced by the window while Chelsea undressed Jane and examined the gaping wound in her back, gaudy and gruesome and oozing venom.

When we'd burst in on her, Chelsea had been perched on one of the stiff beds, gnawing on the skin of her thumb with her long hair tumbling around her face. For the first time since I'd known her, she looked like a child; young and fragile and afraid. And, despite the lack of tear-trails on her immaculate face, she looked like she'd been crying.

I moved to go to Alec while Chelsea's fingers gently cleaned Jane's wound, but Demetri caught my shoulder and steered me away, right out of the infirmary, leaving just Chelsea and the twins.

"Alec and Chelsea need to comfort eachother just now," Demetri said gently, suddenly the voice of maturity and reason. "Do you understand?"

I did.

And to say that Aro was not a happy camper would be the understatement of the fucking millenium. I thought it would have been Caius ranting and throwing his hands in the air in fury and frustration, but Aro seemed to take on a whole new persona entirely, before he wore himself down.

Not that Caius was the poster child for calm and collected, by any means.

All the guests had up and left immediately upon the news of Jane's condition. It was said that they wanted to give us all privacy and the house to ourselves, but I think they just didn't want to get themselves steamrollered by our family drama.

Clever things.

Carmen and Eleazar have stuck around and are lurking somewhere, but they're staying out of the way right now and I have a feeling that if Eleazar pokes his nose in too far, Alec might take it upon himself to remove that nose altogether. Eleazar only means well and is still on good terms with Chelsea and Jane, but an aggrivated Alec is a dangerous Alec and for his own sake I hope Eleazar knows to keep the fuck away, at least for now.

Sighing deeply, I glance over the lists of movies to watch. Right now, I want something so utterly stupid that it will clear my mind of any remaining braincells that I might possess. There's really only one choice that springs to mind. The most pointless, moronic, fucktarded movie I've ever seen: Dude, Where's My Car.

Bliss.

Sadly, this upfucked mind of mine refuses to be distracted from my thoughts. In too short a time, the words become nothing but an irritating buzz in my ears, and the figures on screen become nothing but multicoloured dashes.

Fuck. My. Unlife.

I slam the computer screen shut as gently as I can manage and bounce right out of bed, throwing my bedroom door open and fleeing my room before insanity can creep up on me.

I ponder the idea of wandering down to the infirmary, but I doubt this would be appreciated. I think for once I should take my own advice and leave everyone be for the minute.

I want vodka. Stat. Sadly, this is out, as is any form of weed. So I decide to go find someone guaranteed to cheer me up. Santiago couldn't possibly be down in the metaphorical dumps. If he is, there is no hope for the world.

vVv

There is no hope for the world.

Santiago is flipping through old online photo albums and home videos, moping like there's no freaking tomorrow. Scowling, I march into his room and plop myself down in to one of his swivel chairs.

"No," I growl, flicking at his fingers hovering over the mouse. "Not you. _You_, sir, are not allowed to be sad. It's unnatural and wrong and cut it out _rightnow_."

Santiago glances sideways at me with tired looking eyes, and gives me the most pathetic excuse for a smile known to man or beast or freaking plant. "Oh. Hi, Nyx," he says flatly.

"Hi," I reply, trying to unnarrow the black slits of my eyes. "What are you up to?"

"Nothin'," he mumbles, clicking the mouse yet again. "Lookin' at photos."

I sigh. Then I start in alarm. I spot myself in several dozen photographs, utterly unaware of the violation.

"The _fuck_? Why the hell am _I_ in them?"

Santiago shrugs somewhat lifelessly. "I got a new camera around the time Alec got you and needed a subject. Figured I'd embarrass you with them someday." He gives a faint ghost of a grin. "Congratulations. Today's the day. Embarrassed?"

AM I FREAKING EVER.

I'm human in all of them. Guess he figured he couldn't catch me unaware as a vampire. Most of them feature Alec, too. We're chatting or arguing or yelling at eachother. In one that I like, it looks like he's ranting at me with his back turned and I'm pulling hideous faces at him. Santiago titled the photo as 'Alec the Oblivious.' My own grin is pretty weary.

There are a couple of particularily cringe-worthy ones. Like one where I got my mischevious little hands on a black Sharpie and drew myself some whiskers, a little kitty nose and a Hitler moustache. Alec didn't escape the wrath of my tattoo-artestry, _oh_ no. He's sitting still good-naturedly with an incredulous look on his face as I doodle a daisy chain all the way from his temple and around his chin. How I got away with _that _ one, I do not know.

"How's he doing?" Santiago asks softly, as if he's afraid to ask.

"Not so great," I reply, doing well at keeping the tremour out of my voice.

"Didn't think so," Santiago grimaces, leaning back in his chair and raking his hands through the bird's nest of his hair. If fuzzy little chickies hatch out of it, I will not be surprised.

"I didn't really get near him much. He's with Chelsea right now," I say.

"Yeah. I think he'll be there for a while, Nyx. You might have to wait this one out."

"How come?" I frown.

Santiago looks uncomfortable. "Well. Alec will only really allow himself to be upset in front of Chelsea. He hates being vulnerable in front of people."

That's not all that shocking, to be honest. "Even you guys?"

"Especially us guys," Santiago smiles weakly. "He hates looking weak. It's just how he is. Very prideful. So if I were you, I'd save yourself some hassle and keep out of his way for a while."

I snort, folding my arms tightly. "Hardly. _I_ don't care if he's weak. He needs to suck it the fuck up."

Santiago pulls a face. "He won't, though. _Especially_ in front of you."

My lips curve downwards. "Why _especially_ me?" I demand.

"Well, you're his girl. It just wouldn't do for you to see him as anything less than the Alpha Male he comes across as."

"That's retarded!" I splutter. Santiago shrugs.

"That's how he is. I really think it'll be better for everyone if you just leave him be for a while. Let him find you when he's ready to."

Santiago half-smiles when I grumble darkly about testosterone and male pride and fucking idiots, the lot of them.

I sigh deeply, rubbing the back of my neck. I tuck my feet up into my chair and hug my legs tightly. "Do you think he'll cry?"

"Oh no. Alec doesn't cry."

I can't quite keep Caius's you've-got-to-be-fucking-kidding-me look off my face. "Of course he doesn't."

Santiago smiles slightly.

"Even in front of Chelsea? Or Jane?"

"Never."

And I roll my eyes so that I fear they might roll right out of my head. Santiago chuckles quietly.

"Trust me, making Alec cry is like trying to put facepaints on Caius. Life endangering and absolutely _not going to happen_. Oh, we've _tried_ to make him cry. For months on end, Felix, Demetri and I had a bet to see who could make him cry. All it got us was some live amputation, a punch in the face, and quite severely grounded."

I snort. "_That_ I would have liked to see."

"Yeah," Santiago grins stupidly, somewhat back to normal, much to my relief. "The girls had a bet to see which of us would have our body parts Fed-Exed to the four corners of the world first."

"Who won _that_ bet?" I smirk.

"No one. Thankfully."

Santiago discards a pop up and moves on to another album. This is smaller, all the pictures taken at night. It's the Guard, all of them dressed in silly summer clothes, surrounded by sand and water.

"Because of our duties, we can't all go on vacation at the same time," Santiago explains. "So a couple of years ago, we all snuck out for one night and went to the beach."

I laugh out loud before clamping my mouth shut. The sound is so weird and out of place right now that it makes me flinch. Jeez, I hope nobody else heard that one.

In the photos, they're all acting silly. They've erected deveral parasols, spread out towels, and even brought a picnic basket filled with plastic cutlery that, in the end, was used to decorate a mountainious sandcastle as high as Felix's shoulders. They've buried Afton in sand and tossed eachother into the ocean and even fashioned some unsteady surfboards out of the remains of a crashed wooden boat.

Santiago sighs nostalgically.

"So, how come Alec won't cry?" I ask scathingly. "Manly pride?"

"Ehh," Santiago shrugs guiltily. My eyes narrow sharply. "Well, when he was a little kid and his dad would beat on him, he'd make fun of Alec for crying. It got on his nerves, made him hit harder. So I guess Alec hasn't cried since."

I swallow deeply, swallowing back my attitude too. "Oh," I mumble.

Santiago nods. There's a moment of silence before he starts chewing on his lip. "Can I tell you something?"

"Go for it, man."

Santiago shuffles about in his seat like a kid in the principal's office. Looking all guilty-shit, he glances up at me through that crazy hair of his and blurts out: "When Jane first arrived here, I slept with her."

My eyes and smile widen comically, and I have to press my hands down on my mouth _hard_, to hold in the hysterical yelps of laughter. I breathe deeply, channeling my calm-place, and place my hands in my lap.

"Oh...my," I gasp out between shaky breaths. Santiago scowls. I splutter helplessly. "D...Does Alec know?"

"Oh yes," Santiago blanches, looking a smidge paler than usual. "Damn kid nearly tore my balls off when he found out!"

I snort in a very unladylike fashion, pressing my face into my knees to stop from howling with laughter.

"Well, he got my leg off without much hassle," Santiago grumbles. "'Course, he was barely more than a newborn then so it wasn't that hard for him."

Shaking off my urge to fall off the damn chair with laughter, I manage to grind out, "How...d-did he find out?"

"Jane told him," Santiago grimaces, red eyes rolling. "She got pissed when she found out he'd been sleeping with Corin, so she told him she'd been sleeping with me. He didn't believe her at first and he just laughed, but when she got it into his head that it was true he came after me with a vengeance.

"I wouldn't mind but it was around the time when he was just starting to trust everyone and interact with us properly. It took him almost three years to trust me properly again."

Eyebrows raised, I smirk. "So do you and Jane still...ahem, _knock boots_?"

Santiago's cheeky expression tells me _all_ I need to know. "The occasional boot _might_ be knocked," he says nonchalantly. I grin widely.

"Man, that's fucking wild!"

"Don't tell Alec," Santiago says quickly, his voice high with panic. I wave my hand at him.

"Nah, don't even worry about it, man."

He breathes out, looking relieved. "Thanks, Nyx."

There's a beat of silence. My eyes drop to the floor. "Do you think...she'll be okay?" I ask, feeling – for the first time ever – genuine concern for Jane. Santiago's wobbly smile is far from convincing.

"Well, sure she will," he says, nudging my arm with his fist. "We need _someone _to boss us around and make us feel like idiots."

"And burn us."

"And bang us."

"Ew, man. Really."

"Sorry..."

vVv

Due to the mind-numbing, soul crushing boredom and lonesomeness that the afteroon brings, I decide that Alec will just have to suck up his manly pride to fuck, and get over himself. Just because he likes to think he's Mr. All-Powerful doesn't mean I like the idea of leaving him alone in this. How much would I really care about him if I was willing to let him face this pain by himself? I mean sure, he's gonna have Chelsea down there with him, but eventually Afton's gonna go on down and make her eat or some shit, and then Alec will be left alone.

So I mosey on down, trying to psych myself up for anything that could await me down there. As I make my way down the stairs to the infirmary, I come face to face with Chelsea.

"Oh," she breathes upon noticing me. "Hi, honey. Are you looking for Alec?"

Her voice is thin and weak, her eyes black as coal with heavy, dark cicles underneath. I figured I'd seen her at her most fragile when everyone was kidnapped, but I guess not. I vaguely remember her holding me persistantly, just for something to hug.

"As usual," I mumble.

Her smile is so pitifully weak that my stomach churns tightly. She doesn't seem to notice. "Well, he's downstairs. I wouldn't expect much out of him right now, dear."

I nod, understanding what she means thanks to Santiago. "Thanks, Chelsea."

Chelsea's eyes drift past me, and I turn to see Afton waiting for her at the top of the stairs. She moves on, looking so delicate that I wonder briefly if I should support her going up the stairs. But she makes it quickly into Afton's waiting arms. She buries her face in his shoulder and he rocks her gently, and with a brief nod in my direction, he leads his wife away.

The scene makes my chest hurt, and suddenly I want Alec so badly that I don't _care_ if he wants me there or not.

When I reach the double doors leading into the infirmary, I push them open quietly and poke my head around to take a peek inside.

Jane is lying back in the bed wearing a huge cotton t-shirt that doesn't belong to her. A light blanket covers the rest of her body up to her breasts. Her blond hair is splayed haphazardly around her head like a pale halo. She looks so peaceful, so perfectly angelic that I pause, my teeth finding my lip automatically. One of her hands is folded neatly across her stomach, and the other is captured in the hands of her brother.

He doesn't appear to notice when I slide my body through the doors. He's sitting beside the bed, his forehead leaning on their joined hands. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he'd fallen asleep.

I'm still in just my fluffy purple socks, so my footsteps make virtually no sound as I cross the floor towards him. He doesn't look up, or so much as twitch. Brows furrowing, I touch my fingers to the back of his head.

With a sharp inhilation, his head snaps up, looking bleary-eyed and tired. "Oh," he breathes, once his black eyes have found their way up to my face. "Nyx."

"Hey," I say, keeping my voice quiet. I sit timidly in the seat Chelsea had previously occupied.

"What are you doing here?"

I try to ignore the fact that his voice is far from inviting. "I didn't really want you to be alone," I say. "Even though Santiago told me you'd rather be by yourself."

Alec's eyes stare off into the distance for a painfully long moment before they find Jane's face again, smooth and pale as a corpse for viewing.

"He's right."

The coldness in his voice makes me tense, but I push past it. "Well, just because you want to be by yourself doesn't mean I'm alright with _leaving_ you by yourself."

Alec stiffens, his breathing stopped altogether. His eyes close and his lips part. "Please, Phoenix, just go. Leave me alone."

"But- I-"

"_Nyx_."

Alec's voice is harsh and cold, his face set in a mould of emotionlessness. Eyes downcast, I rise from my seat. I leave as silently as I entered, trying so freaking hard not to be hurt by his blatant dismissal.

vVv

**Alec's POV**

I managed to see past the still form of my sister to catch Nyx's expression as she leaves the infirmary. The hurt in her face is unmistakable.

Fresh pain wrenches through my stomach as I watch the door slip shut behind her. I physically flich, feeling as though I'm being twisted from the inside. I squeeze my eyes shut as I lower my head again, gripping Jane's hand even tighter as I take one trembling breath. My eyes burn with pooling venom, which only makes my squeeze them tighter. I swallow deeply to get rid of the dryness in my throat.

Holding Jane's fragile little hand at my temple, I glance up at her face, clear of everything – of emotion, pain, and life – and take another breath.

"My poor sister," I whisper, my voice barely more than a breath. "Why am I always too late to protect you?"

I almost expect her to sit up and answer me. She stays still, unbreathing and mute. The answering silence is like flames in the pit of my chest.

vVv

_My hands were numb from the October cold, my fingers red and swollen and sore. My forage for food had been unsuccessful. I wasn't very good at stealing. Jane was far more adept. Her tiny, nimble fingers could whisk something up and away in the blink of an eye. She was quick and spry and was rarely caught. The only reason I was the one who had to go out looking for food was because Jane had chores to do. They couldn't wait and I wouldn't be able to take the beating for her if she didn't do them. I was not going to do them for her – it wasn't my place or my job. She was the woman of the house. Cleaning was the womens' job._

_Unfortunately, this meant that taking food from the late-evening village stalls was _my_ burden for the evening. The crowds were far thinner and as if my infamous reputation wasn't enough to turn the spotlight towards me the second I entered the square, I was more noticable than my small sister. I was taller and broader than she and as a male – in spite of the rumors of _her_ demonic witch powers – I was the one to be feared. This made little sense to me but I didn't dwell on it much. _

_Once or twice a week, Jane and I left the house at night when our sire was in an alcohol-induced slumber and met with a group of our peers in one of the back alleys of the village. We would pool our money and gamble on who could win the arranged fight: Me, or whichever of them chose to face me. Because of my frequent _home training_, I knew what I was doing and often won, but at the start of the week the village officials rode in on their damn horses and we had to scatter to avoid a public flogging. Gambling was a sin – but we basked in sin, my sister and I, and this was well known._

_Unfortunately Jane and I thrived on whatever money I could earn and used it to pay for whatever food we could. Our father rarely bought food, even for himself. They served food down at the local Tavern and this sated his appetite. If ever he didn't eat there, he would go out and hunt his own food, a rabbit or some kind of fowl (I had tried this kind of hunting myself, but I was no good at setting traps or snares and I had no patience for lying in wait for ages, especially in cold evenings like this) . Jane was the one who had to prepare and cook this for him – something awfully cruel when she was hungry. If we were lucky, Jane and I could scavange some scraps from his meal._

_We considered taking some coin from his stash in his bedroom, but he always noticed if we stole from him and I was already weak from our clash the day before. Jane had enough household duties to attend to without having to tend to me._

_I felt guilt pressing in on me. Father had been eating at the Tavern all week long and there would be nothing for Jane and I. Tonight, we would be going hungry. The sting of failure was unrelenting and I found myself hunching my shoulders as I approached the house._

_I let myself in through the back door, as quietly as I could. It was past dark and Father would be drinking here. Drawing unneccisary attention to myself was the last thing I needed to do tonight. _

_I stepped lightly in the hallway. One of the floorboards was liable to creaking and I had to watch out for it if I wanted to slip in unnoticed. Our house was fairly big for this area (thanks to a generous inheritance from our father's parents, we were quite well off. I always reminded myself that one day, as the only male heir in the family, the house, and all the money would fall to me. Then I could take care of Jane like she deserved and we could have some semblance of a life) but the walls were thin and it wasn't all that difficult to hear what was going on at the other side of the house._

_This was why I froze in place when I heard a muffled cry, a whimper. My body tensing, I listened harder. I heard a low grunt, and another outcry, weaker this time._

_With a small thrill of fear, I crept on, following the sounds. My feet lead me down into our kitchen. As I edged down the four steps into the small room, my eyes found such a scene unfolding within that I physically recoiled, my body leaping back and falling down against the steps. I felt the familliar erruptions of pain, but they didn't register with my mind. From my position on the steps, I could see everything._

_Jane was lying against the cold floor, spread naked beneath our father. From what little knowledge I had in relation to sex, my mind instantly formed the obvious conclusion:_

He's raping her.

_Her small mewls were like that of a timid cat, and no louder than such. The old rag she used for cleaning had been stuffed into her mouth, gagging her. _

_I felt ice cold all over, and yet my body was burning. My stomach twisted sickeningly as I found my feet. My body was working; my mind was not. I had no thoughts but one as I moved towards them – _He's hurting my sister_._

_My eyes and cold, clammy fingers found his hunting knife on the kitchen table. It was still warm from his hand. My own hand was unfathomably steady as I reached forward. My mind and Jane screamed in unison as I gripped his thick, dark hair roughly with my fingers. He gasped loudly as I yanked his head back. He body vaulted back and upwards, and Jane gave a moan of pain. His eyes, cold and ice blue, like mine, swivelled up and found my face, found the knife in my hand. His open mouth twisted into a knowing sneer. _Do it_, his eyes beckoned. The sneer was enough._

_My hand lunged with presicion I never knew I posessed and curved around his bare throat. The slice back took only a second, but I saw it all unfold and it felt like a lifetime. His body went into spasms as the old, semi-dull blade sliced his skin open, tearing a hole in him. Blood sprayed and spurted out, hot against my hand and arm, and out onto Jane's pure, white skin. She moaned again._

_His body stilled, sagging beneath my hands. I was quite strong, but not strong enough to support his entire weight. I shoved his body aside and he crashed against the floor, blood still leaking from the wound I had inflicted. His eyes glossed over, staring at nothing, yet still finding my face. His unconscious gaze made my skin prickle, and a rough shudder found it's way down my spine._

_This brought me back to reality._

_Everything began to register in my mind. The heat of the blood on my skin, the aches in my limbs, the throbbing in my head, my shallow breaths, Jane's hysterical gasps and cries as she lay naked on the floor._

_Tears burned my eyes and my throat closed as I snatched up Father's riding cloak, draped over the back of a chair, and dropped to my knees. Jane's fingers were shaking so badly that she wasn't able to claw the rag out of her mouth. I pulled it out and threw it away, and her half-mad sobs and screams pierced through me. Her fingers clawed and scrabbled frantically at my front, grabbing my stained shirt as she wailed. I draped the cloak around her body, averting my eyes, and took her into my arms, holding her still. Forcing myself to swallow back my own tears, I slid my suddenly weak arms beneath her and lifted her up._

_My whole body was shaking and weak and I could hardly stand, but I managed to rise and lift Jane with me. With tremendous effort and complete absense of thought, I stumbled my way up out of the kitchen and upstairs, into my bedroom. I lay Jane, still hysterical and shaking violently, across my bed, tucking my thin sheets tightly around her body. My trembling fingers stroked her face and hair, trying to soothe her. I recoiled my hand after a while, unable to shake the feeling that my every touch was causing her pain._

_It took hours for her to fully quieten, succumbing to sleep that made me envious. I felt like I wouldn't be able to sleep for decades._

_I took this quiet time to observe her condition. Her mouth was stained with blood, one side of her face swollen and one eye blackened. I felt the urge to fetch another rag and clean her face like she usually did for me, but I was terrified of waking her. I wanted to leave her at peace, however hollow it might be._

_Swallowing deeply, I gently eased the sheets away from her lower half. She didn't wake, or even so much as shift. She was so pale and still that if it wasn't for the weak rise and fall of her chest, I would think her dead. The thought made my stomach curl._

_I lifted the sheet up to her waist and peeled the cloak back, trying to perpare myself. My efforts were in vain, because as soon as my eyes found the fresh, shiny blood staining her inner thighs, my stomach heaved and I had to race from the room before the pitiful contents of my stomach emptied themselves, and I vomited._

_It took until the beginning light of the next morning before I could face returning to the kitchen. Every step seemed to increase the pressure closing in on me. It took me longer than it should have to reenter the room, breathing shallowly through my mouth. I caught fists of my shirt cuffs, stiff with dried blood, and drew in one shaky breath before setting my eyes on my dead father._

_He was in the exact same position as he was when I left him. His eyes were still wide open and staring, and he looked paler than anyone I'd ever seen. I cringed. There was so much more blood than I'd thought, and I felt vaguely sick as my eyes moved over his torso and arms. The blood on his skin looked sticky, and I retched at the thought of touching him. But I couldn't just _leave_ him here. Someone would find out. Pleading my case would be useless. The wretched population was just looknig for an excuse to burn me. It would only be a matter of time before they burned Jane for conspiracy, or some other ridiculous false charge._

_When I felt brave and stable enough to touch his skin, I grabbed his ankles and dragged him towards the cellar. The floor of our wine cellar – where Father kept most of his alcohol – was nothing but earth. I could bury him there, and no one would be any the wiser. Even if some ignorant bastards did come snooping around inside the house looking for him (he had a lot of friends), they'd never find him._

_When I finally had him down there, I raced back upstairs and out into our stables. It was still very early, so no one would see me or the blood on my clothes. I went to fetch our biggest shovel so I could get to digging before Jane woke up. While I rummaged around inside the stables, Father's great black stallion stared at me with accusatory eyes. The horse was a beast of a thing, strong and large with a shiny black coat and mane. The wretched horse was the one thing Father kept pridefully. Perhaps they were kindred spirits: It was just as vicious and tempermental as he. I shivered, gripped the handle in still shaking hands, and fled back to the house._

_There wasn't one pore on my body that wasn't oozing sweat as I dug. My clothes were clinging uncomfortably to my skin. Eventually, I tore my shirt over my head and lay it over his face – I could still feel him _watching_ me. It felt like the whole world was watching me._

_The digging took forever. I kept underestimating his size. My father was a big man, but it was entirely muscle. There wasn't a trace of fat on his body, even after all these years of heavy drinking. He was tall, clearing six feet, and built. We had the same frame, but mine was much smaller. In the future, I would grow into him._

_I despised how I looked, because I looked like him. His eyes, his brow, his nose and lips and jaw. His shoulders. Even his thick chestnut hair. It was Jane who had first pointed this out, when we were smaller._

"_He calls us ugly," she snickered, while we were tucked away in our hiding spot in the cupboard beneath the stairs. "But we look like him!"_

_Jane found this very funny, and even I had to laugh with her._

"_But _you_ don't look like him, Janie," I pointed out. She didn't. There was a vague resemblance, but her hair was a soft blonde, her face slender and femenine. Even her blue eyes were different. "I think you must look like our mama."_

_Jane stared at me, seemingly awed. "Do you think so?" She asked softly. We had only once seen a picture of our mother, shown to us by our nurse while she was still around. She had fled when we were seven, leaving a note saying that she couldn't deal with our disgusting demonic presence any longer. I had been teaching Jane to read at the time and she found the note first. She tried hard to hide it from me, to spare my feelings. I never let on to her that I found it tucked away in the slats of her floorboards._

_I nodded to Jane, smiling softly. It was so strange. We each looked like our respective gender parents, and yet we looked so similar to eachother. It was one of the many things that deemed us freaks amongst the ignorant locals._

"_I do," I said to my sister, smiling a little. "You are very pretty, Janie."_

_Jane smiled radiently, looking so pleased. "I think Father is wrong," she said, taking my hand. "I think you are quite handsome."_

_When I had finally finished digging, my back and arms ached so much that I could barely stand. I grunted in pain as I heaved his cold body into the hole. I tried to avoid looking at him, but something did catch my eye that made me cringe again._

_Father was uncircumcised, like me. I wasn't all that surprised. Circumcising young boys had only come into fashion shortly before I was born, when the Church declared it so. But my father was so wrapped up in grief when I was born that I was never circumcised myself, and this was something to be deeply ashamed of, something else to add to the list of things that the villagers despised about me. Only one or two other boys at my school were uncircumcised, but nobody cared about _them. _I was the one on show, as usual. I was fourteen when I grew so sick of the tormenting that I left school for good. The schoolmasters were relieved to have me gone and never complained to my father, and no matter how many times he raised his hand to me, I refused to return._

_In one respect, I missed out on learning a lot about growing up and becoming a man. Some boys in my school left to be married, which was amusing. But I lacked knowledge on a lot of things. Some boys had even begun shaving, which I was deeply envious about. Shaving meant you were a man. I had begun to grow _some_ hair, but my face was as clean and smooth as it had always been. I had wondered about trying despite not needing to, thinking about Father's cut-throat shaving razor in our bathroom. I decided against it when I imagined him catching me. That thing was deathly sharp, and it would be only too easy for him to cut _my_ throat with it._

_I stared down at him inside his grave, shuddering. The thought of even _that_ part of me being like him repulsed me. _

_It took less time to refill the grave and smooth the soil over until there was no evidence whatsoever. When I was finished, I dropped the shovel, which seemed a thousand times heavier than before, and sank down into the earth, exhausted and drained._

_I lay there, curled in on myself, for a long time. I could hear past the ringing in my ears as village life continued outside as usual. I ached all over. My head throbbed painfully. My eyes and fists were squeezed shut and I breathed hard, fighting a successful battle against my tears. Tears were foolish and solved nothing, and I hated feeling so weak. I already felt weak, so weak that I could barely move. I had never felt so alone, so afraid and uncertain. I felt like a child._

_However, I had to gather myself up when I heard movement upstairs. Jane was awake._

_Forcing myself to my feet, I raced upstairs as best I could (as I passed through the kitchen I eyed the shredded remains of Jane's dress, deciding I would use it later to clean up the blood). I burst into my bedroom, but she wasn't there. I heard a loud clanging sound coming from the bathroom, and rushed in quickly._

_Jane was crouched by the large iron tub we used for bathing, trying to drag it along the floor. She had my sheet wrapped around herself, and was using one hand. She could barely inch it along._

"_Jane," I murmured quietly, so as not to startle her. "Jane?"_

_I got nothing but a mumble in return. Jane yanked weakly at the tub, but it only budged a centimetre. She made a small sound of despair._

"_Jane," I murmured, reaching for her. I cupped her elbows, which were shaking with effort, and hoisted her to her feet. She gripped at the sheet self-consciously, eyes closed. Her face looked worse in the daylight. Her lips were pale and swollen and her bruised eye looked sickening. Her bare shoulders and arms were patterned with dark spatters of bruises. I felt relieved when she ducked her head forward, and her blonde hair shrouded her face from me._

"_Come and rest, sister. You are weak," I said softly. Jane's blonde head shook slightly, and she mumbled again._

"_I can't hear you, Janie," I said, wrapping my arm around her waist to support her. She leaned her head against my shoulder, and I caught her whispers._

"_Want to wash," she whispered, so quietly that I had to strain to hear her. "Need to wash."_

_I understood. We had to haul this monstrosity of a tub all the way outside to fill it up with water from the river when we wanted to bathe. The thing was heavy, so the job usually fell to me. It was even worse lugging it all the way back in. The other option was to fetch our wooden buckets and make several trips to the river and back, but this took forever. But I felt weak and sore and doubted I'd be able to support the weight of the tub empty, let alone filled with water. I'd end up flooding the house._

"_Alright," I said. "Alright. You lay in bed while I prepare a bath for you."_

_Jane didn't argue, she just let me lead her back into my room and help her up onto the bed. I expected her to close her eyes and sleep some more, but she only stared blankly at the wall with hooded eyes, seemingly in a transe. Shivering, I left to prepare her bath. I wouldn't deny her this, no matter how difficult the task might prove – she needed to wash him off._

_I had to change first. I had discarded my shirt and would burn it later, but even my trousers were bloodstained and filthy from digging. I went into father's bedroom and began rummaging through his clean clothes. As soon as I had outgrown my child's wardrobe, I had to wear his old clothes. He wasn't about to go and pay for new things for me. Using his clothes was the one thing he didn't hurt me for._

_When it hit fourteen and fifteen, I was able to wear his things without being swamped by them. They were till a little big, but I didn't look that ridiculous. I wasn't so vain that I minded either way. I was lucky to have clothes at all. I had hit sixteen not two weeks ago, and had filled out even more. My skinny child's arms and legs and chest had filled out with subtle muscles that were becoming more prominant by the day. Thanks to lack of food I was still quite thin, but I seemed to be growing out of it. Fighting my father almost daily and my peers by the week had me fit and strong. During times like this, it made me glad. In the coming days I would need all the strength I posessed._

_I took one of his shirts and a pair of trousers, using a small length of rope to fasten them around my hips. My own saliva was all I could use to clean any visible blood spatters, and I spent at least fifteen minutes scrubbing ta my skin until it was raw and sore._

_Braving Father's stallion, I fetched two buckets from the stables and made my way down to the river. Thankfully it flowed right through the village and I found a relatively private spot near enough to my house where I could come and go as many times as I needed to. It was a dreadful task and I had to grit my teeth over the prominant aches and twinges, but I managed. All the time I was lugging wter back and forth, I was thinking. Planning. Luckily for me, thinking was one of the only things I was actually good for. _

_When people noticed our father was missing, suspicion would instantly fall to Jane and I. We needed to flee the village before this could happen, and I was going to need to start preparing. We had an old carraige in the stables that I could fix up. I would need to find plenty of food to tide us both over until we found somewhere suitable to stay. Another village, perhaps, where nobody knew about the Witch Twins. We would stay being brother and sister – our similarities were too prominant to ignore – but not twins. Twins were too rare, too noticable. Word might spread. Father had enough money that we could get a small house for ourselves. I could get a job to support us. Maybe, in time, we could even make a life for ourselves. _

_When the bath was full, I was going to call Jane. I paused. I needed to start preparing immediately, and Jane needed taking care of. She needed someone to look after her. Before I went to fetch her, I slipped back outside._

_I waited, biding my time. I might have been no good at hunting, but this was essencial. I lurked in a small alleyway in one of the least crowded places in the village, watching. I needed someone timid and easily intimidated that would do as I bid. No boy or adult would succumb to that. I needed a girl._

_It took a while before somebody suitable came along. Annalise Crowder passed by, pausing right by me to pick up some dropped seed. She was totally oblivious to my prescence. I pounced, clamping my hand tight over her mouth to hold in her screams. I dragged her back into the alleyway while she kicked and struggled tearfully._

_She was a little thing, nearing fifteen. She was a girl I had seen often around the village, doing chores for her widowed mother. She had thick, raven hair, clear, pale skin and bright eyes. I'd often admired her beauty, but I didn't dream of making any contact. Jane and I had long ago accepted that neither of us would ever be married. This didn't bother me much. I was far too solitary in nature to even dream of having a wife under my feet. Besides, I could easily imagine any family fleeing the village if I asked for their daughter's hand. And in spite of Jane's youthful beauty, she received no offers either. She didn't seem to mind. We were used to being by ourselves, having only eachother, and didn't expect it to change any time soon. _

_Annette whimpered against my hand, struggling uselessly. She was a quiet little thing, not really one for being outspoken. Yes, she would be perfect._

_I managed to get her back to the house without being seen, ducking through back alleys and entering through the back door. When I hauled her inside, I locked the door and hustled her upstairs. There, I clamped my arm tight around her stomach and wrenched her head sideways so that my lips were at the pink shell of her ear. Her cheeks were flushed and tears poured down her face, sliding over my own hand._

"_Shhhh," I whispered, my voice menacing. I was having too much fun with this. "Relax. I will not hurt you. Yet, anyway."_

_She moaned against my hand. My grip tightened, pinning her against my body. My voice because teasing. "Now. I need you, to do something for me. A very important task. I couldn't pick just anyone."_

_She sobbed quietly, her slender body shaking. I gripped tighter again, wrenching her head back._

"_Are you listening?" I hissed. Her head bobbed up and down frantically, nodding. I loosened my grip a tad. "Now. I shall let you go. You aren't going to scream on me, are you?"_

_Her head shook. _

"_Good. I would so hate to have to dispose of you already," I purred. I wrenched my arms out, throwing her body away from me. She crashed against the nearest wall with a loud cry. I folded my arms over eachother, waiting for her to get up. She held her pretty face in her hands, sobbing quietly._

_Good. At least she wasn't about to scream. That was a hassle I did not need._

"_Wh-What do you want with me?" She wept._

_Smirking, I knelt down in front of her, nudging my finger under her chin and lifting so her face was level with mine._

"_I told you," I said lightly. "I have a special job for you."_

"_Alec?" A feeble whisper reached my ears. I turned around, rising back to my feet. Jane stood at my bedroom door, staring out at us with bleary eyes, the sheet still wrapped around her frame. She didn't even seem to see the girl on the floor, staring right through both of us with a haunted look on her pale face._

"_Ah, sister," I replied softly. "Your bath is ready, dearest. Why don't you go inside?" _

_Jane took such a feeble step forward that I instinctively reached out to her. Wrapping my arm around her, I led her to the bathroom door. Annette was far too terrified to make a move. She sat there with round, teary eyes, watching us both as if we'd just dropped through the ceiling. I don't know why she looked so shocked. Our father's abuse wasn't our best kept secret. It was his right to raise us with a heavy hand if he wished._

"_Who is she?" Jane breathed when I led her to the tub._

"_Ah," I replied, smiling. Such a thing felt so out of place that I removed it as soon as it appeared. It felt alien on my face. "She is your new caregiver."_

_I don't know which one of them had the funnier expression. Jane managed to look utterly incredulous, while Annette looked merely horrified._

"_I have errands to run, preparations to make," I continued, beckoning Annette into the room. Snivelling, she crept inside, still keeping her distance from the two of us. Jane looked at me questioningly._

"_You needn't fret, sister," I soothed. "Leave everything to me. You work on healing."_

_I averted my eyes as Jane began to unwrap herself from the sheet, staring blankly into the depths of the tub. I gripped Annette's skinny arm in my hand, squeezing hard. She gave a small gasp of pain, eyes squeezing shut, tears leaking. I sneered._

"_You are to care for Jane," I ordered, voice firm. I was mimiking my father's harsh tone, and it scared me a little coming from my own lips. "Do as she tells you. Help her bathe. If you hurt her in any way, the pain will be reciprocated. When she is finished, bring her back to my bedroom to rest. Fetch her some bread from the kitchen and water from the bucket I left by the steps."_

_I felt a momentary flash of panic when I remembered the copious amounts of blood on the kitchen floor. I relaxed when I realised that she had seen Jane hurt. Such a naive little thing would believe the blood was Jane's._

"_You are not to leave this house," I hissed. "If you do, I will find you and make you suffer beyond comprehension. _Understood_?"_

_She nodded, chin trembling, body quaking with sobs. "Yes," she whimpered, turning her face away from me._

_I left them to it. Over the next four days, I worked hard to ready us both for travel. I used some of father's coin to buy food. The sales merchants eyed me warily, but when I produced the gold they seemed to forget their terror. I bought as much as I could without overspending. We needed this money for our future._

_My next task was to prepare the carraige. I needed to repair the cow's hide on the roof to protect us from the rain. This was another expense. I bought as little as I could, deciding to throw some old furs over the top if need be. Evenutally I grew so frustrated by this task and lack of sleep and food that I gave up. The top would have to do. The heavy rains had not begun yet, anyway._

_I threw any spare furs and wool and sheets inside, making it as comfortable as possible for Jane. I loaded the food inside. Despite my permenant ravenous appetite, I refrained from taking so much as a bite of an apple. I would only regret it later when the supply started to dwindle. Besides, if I started eating, I would never stop._

_I eyed the huge black stallion worriedly as I worked inside the stables. His large, dark eyes never left me. I shivered. Thanks to a painful kick to the ribs when I was younger, I was not fond of horses in the least. Jane and I had bother learned to ride out of neccisity. Horses were our only means of travel unless we wanted to wear our feet out. Although until now, we'd never travelled anywhere. _

_Jane, unlike me, was fond of horses. This one was a tempermental beast, but it was partial to Jane and often let her pet and feed him and ride without worry. It reflected my hate with glee, bucking and trying to throw me off the rare times I was brave enough to mount him. Now, I was going to ride the wretched beast for days and days until we found somewhere to stay. _

_I was not one for devout prayer, but now seemed like a damn good time to start._

_I slept in the stables when I slept at all, although I ventured up to the house by the hour to check on Jane and Annette._

_I was worried about Jane. Annette had managed to tempt her with fresh water, but she was refusing all food and no amount of persuasion or reason could get her to eat so much as a mouthful. I pleaded with her in desperation. She needed to be strong for the journey, and she was only becoming weaker._

_Annette had done her job well enough, and I promised to reward her for it. She had washed Jane and cleaned her wounds. The swelling in her face and lips had gone down and her eye was healing too. She had managed to get Jane into one of her dresses and even washed the sheet. Perhaps I had underestimated her determination for safety. I briefly pondered taking her with us – Jane might still need care while I looked for work of some kind. However, she would be too big of a liability. If she ever escaped, she could find her way back to the village and tell people where we were. She could open her mouth and spread te same stories that were circulating here. It wasn't worth it. I would care for my sister as best I could, banking on her recovery so I could get work to support us._

_When I had finished preparing everything I could, I sat back against a pile of hay and half-smiled, eyes sliding shut. My limbs seemed to shut down altogether, and I flopped back against the itchy hay with a heavy sigh. I was utterly exhausted. My eyes slid shut of their own accord, and I soon slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep. _

_The next thing I heard was a piercing scream._

_I vaulted up, ignoring a twinge in my back and a throb in my head. It was Jane's scream._

_I lurched forward, breaking into a run. I burst through the stable doors in time to catch two men hustling Jane out the front door of the house._

_Ice flushed through my body._

_One held her up by her arms, pinning her up against him, while the other held her legs to stop her from kicking. She kicked anyway, thrashing furiously in an attempt to free herself. She screamed and shrieked and swore furiously at them, words she'd picked up from our father. _

"_Tie the witch!" Someone shouted._

"_Alec! Alec!" She howled, arching her back and screaming louder. A crowd was gathering, watching in rapt fascination. More men were rushing around. Someone was escorting a tearful Annette out of the house. It was only then that I noticed something crucial. Someone had set the entire building alight and it was slowly crumbling._

_I was crumbling, too._

"_ALEC!" Jane screamed again._

_I raced forward again. No one had spotted me yet. "_LET GO OF HER_!" I roared. Several heads spun in my direction, horrified. Something heavy swung around and hit me sharply in the ribs, knocking the breath out of me. Gasping, I dropped to the ground, sprawling. Someone tried to bind my hands._

_Fighting against all my own intincts, I thrashed and bucked and kicked out until my foot caught someone and sent them sprawling, too. More men advanced on me._

"_Get him! Bind the bastard!"_

"_Watch it, he's a fucking savage!"_

"_Mind he doesn't have a weapon on him!"_

_I cursed myself for leaving the hunting knife in the kitchen. Then it hit me like a fist in the stomach._

_My eyes passed the scores of men trying to restrain me and found Annette, staring at me with cold eyes. I had forgotten about the hunting knife, covered in blood, that I'd left on the floor. It was breaking daylight, I'd been asleep for hours. When I hadn't returned to check on them, she'd fled and found the town officials. This bloodied knife and my father's absence was enough of a conviction for anyone._

_I'd fucked everything up._

_A fist struck my jaw with force that knocked me back, stumbling until I crashed into someone. Arms clamped around my body, large and meaty and stronger than I. Someone slipped rope over my head as I thrashed and writhed and roared, and it was tightened around my body and arms. My wrists. My ankles. Something heavy like before struck my head, and the world blackened._

_I woke again with a fierce throbbing in my head and no clue where I was. A dark room of some sort. There was one small window with bars, up high. Outside I heard footsteps crunching on stone level with the window. I think I was in a basement room._

_At first I couldn't gather my own thoughts, couldn't understand the intense ache in my back, shoulders and arms, why I was cold, or what on earth made my hair stick to my face so._

"_Good, he's awake," someone sneered. I gave a quiet moan of confusion, trying to lift my head. My vision blurred and I squeezed my eyes shut._

"_Shall we start the interrogation? The judge wants a confession outta both of 'em."_

"_Any luck with the girl-twin?"_

Jane_._

"_Good Lord, the girl is rabid! She spits and scratches at anyone who nears her and screams if anyone lays a hand on her skin. They say she's posessed by the Devil."_

"_Oh God. Is it safe to be near her?"_

"_Who knows? We are holy men of the church. We are as safe as we can be with the Lord's protection."_

_I moaned again, shifting. My bare toes could hardly touch the gritty stone floor, and I swung precariously. I realised with a stab of horror that my wrists were being shackled from the ceiling with chains. My hands throbbed, the circulation cut off. I had no idea how long I'd been like this. My shirt had been ripped off me and my chest was bare._

"_Have you the coals prepared?"_

"_Aye. We'll get a confession out of him, one way or another."_

The hell they will_, I thought as fiercely as I could._

_I heard the clang of metal and a strange sizzle, and forced my eyes open. _

_At least four robed men were lurking the the shadows of the room, each one scrutinizing me with fierce, eager eyes. They all bore crucafixes around their necks. Then I understood._

_They were going to get me to confess that I was a witch, that I served the Devil and, if they knew, that I killed my father._

_I knew what happened to those who _did_ confess. This had happened to locals before._

_I also knew what procedures were waiting for me. I inhaled shakily, trying to convince myself to keep my damned mouth shut. This was just torture. I could handle torture. I had for sixteen years._

_The room was alight with an odd glow. There was a crackling fire dying on some coals, and lying across this, a long metal rod, glowing orange with heat. My stomach lurched. _

_Oh God._

_One of the men, wearing a thick leather glove, picked up the end of the rod that was not in the fire. He turned towards me._

"_Aleksander. Are you awake?"_

_I said nothing. Start it off in silence, I told myself._

_A low chuckle. "Very well."_

_Pain seared through the skin of my waist, above my hip, as he leaned the rod against my flesh. My eyes bugged open and my head flung back. My back arched, distorting. I pulled hard against the shackles, lifting my body up and off the ground by an inch or so. My mouth opened wide, my eyes squeezed shut, and I let out a loud howl of pain._

_The rod was removed. The pain remained. I could smell my own flesh searing. I choked, teeth clenching together as I gasped._

"_Are you awake, Aleksander?" They asked me again, humor in their voices. I hesitated, not wanting to break so easily. _

You've felt worse, you've felt worse, far worse_, I chanted inside my head._

_They raised the rod again. I cringed back._

_The rod landed between my neck and my shoulder this time. I howled. They laughed. Tears pooled but didn't spill. They skipped the next question altogether, moving the tip of the rod down my skin until it reached my left nipple. It was pressed deeper. I yelled again, panting heavily, jerking against my restraints._

"_You make deals with the Devil!" Someone roared in my ear._

"_I don't!" I cried._

"_Lies!"_

_A fist punched my stomach. I choked on my next breath._

"_Do you and your sister make contact with Lucifer?"_

"_No," I hissed through my teeth. The fist hit my face. My ears rang and pain exploded through my head. I shook my head from side to side, trying clear it. I was used to being hit; this was practically nothing. Nothing I couldn't deal with, anyway. Blood trickled rapidly from my nose, over my lips and chin, dripping over my chest. The rod was placed against my thigh, burning right through my trousers and into my skin. My howl was more of a scream this time, and they laughed crudely. I felt the smooth, cold blade of a knife against my shoulderblade. _

"_Do you attend orgies with the Devil? With your sister? With the wives of your betters?" Someone raged._

"_No," I gasped, chest heaving. The next punch hit me square in the mouth, making my teeth rattle in my skull. Blood started to drip from my lips. The knife cut into my flesh, and hot blood poured down my back._

"_Do you practice the art of witchcraft?"_

_This went on for hours. One of my eyes became swollen until it was completely shut. I couldn't open my mouth without more blood pouring forth, and I coughed as it slid down my throat, choking me. Blood spattered from my lips. If my blood touched against them, they acted as if it was the most unholy fluid known to man, washing it away with Holy water. My chest and stomach were blackened with bruises. I had burns along my arms, shoulders, sides, torso and legs, and even two on my jaw. I had small gauges all over my back from the knife, and they stung like nothing else. Falling into the patch of nettles as a child had nothing on this._

"_We're getting nothing from him," one of them hissed._

_I'd kept my mouth shut resolutely, but I was paying for it. Someone held a wooden cup to my lips, tipping it up. Cold water flooded my mouth. I swallowed as much as I could as quickly as I could. It freed my mouth of the metallic taste of my own blood and relieved the dryness in my throat. Almot as soon as the cup was there, it was gone. I coughed weakly._

_Someone took a key to one of my shackles and unlocked it. My whole body lurched towards the ground, stopped only by my other wrist, still trapped. All my weight wrenched against my arm as I fell. There was a sickening pop as my shoulder dislocated, and an even more stomach churning snap as my wrist broke._

_I screamed, the sound echoing through the room and the halls outside. The pain, oh Gods, the pain was unreal. I'd never been in so much pain before. Right now, I'd take my father's relentless beatings with a smile._

_My second shackle was released, and my whole body slumped to the ground, hitting the stone with a sickening thud._

_How these men could stomach this was beyond me._

_My body curled in on it's self instinctually. My lesser right hand held my left arm, cradling it. It flopped nausiatingly, my wrist already beginning to swell. My stomach heaved fiercely, and I gagged, retching. Several footsteps skittered back in horror. It was pointless, anyway. My stomach was so empty that there was nothing for me to regurgitate._

_I lay on the ground, quiet and still, as they murmured amongst themselves. Another man, dressed the same as they, entered after a minute and joined the coversation. I heard Jane's name._

"_What of my sister?" I croaked weakly. The five men inclined their heads towards me as I lay on the floor, breathing hard._

_The fifth man walked towards me, smirking. He crouched down beside me on one knee, smiling like an old friend._

"_Oh, we're being inventive with that one," he said, his voice light and teasing. "Clamps on those lovely pink nipples of hers. She doesn't seem to like the whip or the strap much, the poor dear. She can't stomach the shackles like her big bastard brother, either."_

_Rage pulsed through me like a second heartbeat. My sister, my poor Jane, already so hurt. How was she surviving all this? The man crouched above me still, his face leaned towards mine as he laughed. My teeth clenched through the pain._

_I spat fiercely, right in his eye. He leaped backwards and landed on his back on the ground. He was on his feet immediately, snarling through his teeth as he wiped his face rapturiously, disgusted. I formed a tiny smile, feeling victorious. This feeling soon disappeared when I received a vicious kick in the groin, making me yelp and double over, groaning. _

"_Bring the other one in here, the little bitch!" The fifth man roared. "Let them spend the night together and say their goodbyes. Maybe when they see the state of eachother, they shall rethink their silence!"_

_Jane, scratching and thrashing as promised, was carried into the room and dropped beside me. She gasped as the air was knocked out of her. She was fully dressed, to my intense relief, and seemed in better shape than I. My feeble right hand reached for her and she clasped it in her left, squeezing tight._

"_Look at that," someone gasped. "Left-hand, mark of the devil!"_

_I'd heard this before, in school, when I was learning to write. I didn't see what was so dreadful about being left handed. The schoolmaster had caught me holding my slate in my right hand and my chalk stick in my dominant left. He'd done nothing but given me a fierce glare that I couldn't understand, but the other boys soon caught on._

_Jane clasped my hand tighter. The sleeves and the skirts all the way up to her thighs had been cut away. Her legs and arms were burned in a similar fashion as I had been, and covered in bruises and tiny cuts. Her hair was matted and clumped with blood and dirt. Her wrists were red and swollen and bleeding from the shackles, but not broken like mine. I breathed a sigh of relief, being as relieved as I dared._

_I hated to tempt the fates._

_They left us alone, with guards outside the door. We weren't fit to compose any master escape plans, let alone act on them._

"_Are you alright?" I whispered in a broken croak once we were alone. We curled up against eachother, trying not to brush against eachother's wounds._

_Jane nodded numbly, tears trickling down her face. She leaned my forehead into my shoulder, trying to hide her tears. She accidentally leaned against a burn, but I said nothing and tried not to wince._

"_You?" Jane asked, her voice a broken wisp of a whimper. I held her as tight as I dared._

"_Never better."_

_Jane sniffed deeply, her nose clotted with blood. "Oh, brother," she sobbed quietly. "What do we do?"_

_I had no answer._

"_I hate them so, for hurting us," she wept fiercely, tiny fists curled across her chest Through the thin fabric of her dress, I was sickened to see the small lumps of her nipples, protruding and swollen. My stomach lurched again and I had to swallow back bile. They _did_ clamp her._

"_I wish they were the ones being tortured," she continued viciously. I had to admit, even in this rage, I was glad to have her coherent again. I had been so cripplingly afraid by her unresponsiveness._

_I brushed clump of her hair back from her lovely face, bruised and hurt. "I just wish it was not us."_

_Our peaceless slumber was interrupted by the sharp crack of a whip. It started all over again._

_I'm not sure whether it was Jane or I that broke first, screaming out a false confession just to make the pain stop. They had taken the clamp to my fingers, crushing them until my bones crunched._

_Before Jane and I were tossed into a new cell together and left once again, they sat us down at a table one after the other and brought out needles and inks. Our left wrists were strapped down. I didn't understand until they dipped the first needle into the ink and touched it to my forearm._

_They explained it to me as they did it. They tattooed a large, oblong pentagram on my left forearm so that St. Peter would know not to grant me entry through the Gates. _

_As the needles pierced my skin again and again, I broke. I really broke. I screamed until my throat was raw and begged and pleaded for them to stop hurting me. I had never done that before, even at home as a young child under my father's hand. I had never felt lower or more ashamed, but I couldn't contain the pleas falling from my lips. It didn't matter. They didn't listen._

_Jane was outside the room, and I could hear her sobbing for me. But she screamed too when they tattooed her skin, a lesser pentegram on the palm of her hand. Despite being smaller, this took lonegr as she kept clencging her fist against the needles and bleeding. I groaned from my cell, hearing her cries and yells of my name, begging me to help her. I couldn't even help myself._

_It was past dark when they dragged us out. We both knew what was next._

_Jane took on a new vengeance. She really did appear possessed, almost frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog as she fought against them. It took four men – a different four than before – to carry her out into the village again._

_It took two to drag me, but only because I had to be half-carried. I couldn't fight back if I tried. I was physically weak, beaten down and broken. My vision was blurred in the one eye that I could open and I could barely stand. The ringing in my ears wouldn't ease and the roaring of the crowds didn't help._

_The entire village was gathered in the main square where the market was usually held. Men, women and children alike chanted and screamed and laughed. I lifted my limp head long enough to come face to face with two huge stakes, erected in the centre of the square, surrounded by kindling._

_The kindling was weak under our feet and we sagged down against the ropes binding us. I had needed to be lifted up and held as they tied me. Jane fought until the last minute, screaming at the crowds that they would suffer, she would kill them all, she would make them pay for both her pain and mine as she was bound tightly to the stake._

"_Brother," Jane cried, calling across to me. "Alec! I am so sorry," she sobbed._

_I was so weak. The ropes were the only things supporting me, cutting painfully into my flesh. My vision was fading my the second and I found it a small miracle that I was able to find my tongue._

"_I love you, Jane," I called, as loudly as I could so she could hear me over the noice of the ignorant population. They drowned out the sounds of her sobs._

_The Priest made a speech that I couldn't hear. My body felt numb all over. _

I am dying_,I thought, fascinated by the notion. _Finally_._

_I heard the crackle of torches, and Jane's scream reached my ears above all other sounds. My vision blackened._

_There was a large _whoomph_ as the kindling caught flame, leaping high. Immediately, I felt my legs being scorched. I thought I'd felt pain from my father. It was nothing in comparision to being burned. The singes from the glowing rod. Nothing. Fire flickeed against my legs. What fabric of my trousers that didn't catch fire melted and stuck to my skin. _

_I cried out loudly despite my weakness. Smoke poured down my throat upon every breath. I felt so lightheaded that my head lolled from side to side. Perhaps the smoke would kill me before the flames did. That was the best I could ask for._

_Jane's threats continued, her voice high-pitched and hysteric. Every so often she would shriek incoherent nonsense._

_I drifted. The pain increased._

_Oh God make it stop just please make it stop I cannot take it please stop make it stop make it stop..._

_Screams._

_Snarls._

_Voices, loud and furious._

_I opened my good eye but saw nothing. Cool relief of water poured all over my body – or was I imagining it? Was I delusional? The pain of my burns almost overshadowed the feeling of being lifted. Was I dead? These arms were cold. Was I being taken to Hell, like they'd all promised? What of Jane?_

_The arms disappeared. I felt nothing. Even the pain of my burns was fading. Quickly. I could feel my heart slowing. The sound of the screams dulled and dulled until I could barely hear at all. The loud cry of "Aro! _ARO!_ He's not breathing!" sounded like a whisper, and made no sense to me._

_I slipped then._

_Then the _real_ pain started._

vVv

Jane is the one person in this world who has been through everything with me. Our horrific childhood, our execution, our new lives as immortals. We've ravaged this earth, pillaged and tormented. The world is our playground, the humans our game. The thought of not having her alongside me in the future is beyond sane comprehension.

What _really_ hurts is the fact that in the last few months, our relationship has been less than friendly.

I suppose I understand her reasoning. I know for a fact that if Jane ever took a mate, I would claw his dead heart out of his chest and show it to him, burn him alive and wear his ashes in a glass sphere around my neck. No matter how good a mate he might have been to her, I would despise him simply because I couldn't comprehend sharing Jane's affections with anyone else. I was so used to being one of the only people in her life that she genuinely cared about. I would despise being pushed aside by some arrogant _male_. I remember the itching irritation I felt when she first found Benjamin and claimed him as Pet.

I expect Jane felt much the same way when I took Phoenix as a mate, however unofficial it might be. My dear twin is far lass capable at handling her emotions than I am. I suppose she's done rather well at keeping herself in check. On the night of the ball, when there was an oppertunity to deive a permenant wedge between Nyx and I, she set me on the right path, because she wanted my happiness. _She_ wasn't happy with it. It didn't increase her tolerence of Nyx or our relationship, certainly. I don't think in all our years together, she's ever been so selfless.

I don't look up upon a light knock at the doors. The person outside pauses, obviously debating over whether disturbing me would be worth his life. With a gentle push of a hand, the door swings open.

_Apparantly so_.

With one quick inhilation, I recognise the scent immediately; woodsy, like a forest on a clear night after a rainfall. It's all too familliar

The visitor pauses again, gauging my reaction. I stay still, unable to find the energy to so much as growl in warning. All I can hope is that the vibe I'm giving off might be hostile enough to make him flee. I can feel all my anger and frustration and weighted sorrow brewing in the pit of my stomach, and I feel so nausious that I have to lean into Jane's hand to keep from keeling over in my chair.

"Alec."

I don't reply. Immature or no, I like to think that if I ignore him for long enough, he'll give up and leave.

Unfortunately, this isn't the case. I hear the faint scrape of one of our cheap chairs being dragged along the ground and placed down at the opposite side of Jane's bed. The intrudor seats himself, and waits.

The silence becomes suffocating. My throat closes further.

There's a soft sigh. "You know I care about Jane, Alec," he sighs. "I always have and I always will, care about both of you."

I do manage a faint growl this time. "Please, spare me your hypocricy and just leave me in peace, Eleazar."

He doesn't. He leans his elbows on Jane's bed and no amount of vicious glaring makes him move.

"I'm not leaving," he says, once my stare becomes incredulous. "And you're not going to make me. I've been a pushover in regard to your attitude for far too long."

"My _attutude_?" I growl. Eleazar's expression remains neutral. "How dare you come in here speak to me like that? I'm not a fucking _child_!"

"Then why are you acting like one?" Eleazar asks patiently. My mouth drops open in shock.

I stand up so suddenly that my chair shoots backwards and knocks against the next bed. Eleazar does the same, darting down to the end of Jane's bed when I do. My snarl echoes through the room and I'm half expecting Felix and Demetri to burst in and seperate us. They don't. Nobody comes.

"Are you going to hit me?" Eleazar asks once my fists clench. "Go on, do it! Do what you want!"

"What?" I growl.

"Hit me if you must. Do what you need to do, just please, _get over_ this petty grudge you have against me!"

"_What_?"

"You heard me! You've been acting like a spoilt brat ever since I left and to be frank, I'm sick of it!"

Anger pulses through my limbs. "That's right – _you left me_!"

"You were doing well! I thought you were ready!"

"_Well I wasn't_!" I yell. Red tinges my vision, and venom pools on my tongue. I can see Eleazar physically brace himself for my impending attack.

"I'm sorry, I know you were hurt," he says gently.

"The _hell_ you do!"

"I'm _sorry_," he says again. "I found my mate. When I introduced you to Carmen, you liked her!"

"I have nothing against Carmen," I say stiffly.

"Good," Eleazar breathes, appearing relieved that I'm not going to murder his wife in a fit of rage.

"I didn't say I have nothing against _you_."

"I know," Eleazar sighs. "But you have your own mate now. I hoped it would change your perspective on things. You know how it is now."

I scowl furiously. "Don't compare it!"

"Alright, alright," Eleazar says weakly. His eyes open wider for a second. "You know, I saw Phoenix on my way down here."

"So?" I snap crossly.

"So, she looked upset. Maybe you should talk to her."

My frown eases up a little. I did talk to her, that's the problem.

"If you like," Eleazar continues. "I'll stay here with Jane while you go and see Phoenix. We can continue this conversation when you return."

I know I should talk to Nyx. She's trying, for her, at least. Trying to be supportive and help. It's not going to help if I just keep pushing her away.

I hesitate, glancing at Jane.

"I'll be here with her. You'll be the first to know if she wakes," Eleazar says. "It won't hurt to relax for a while. Go."

I throw him a half-hearted glare for telling me what to do before darting around him and disappearing out the doors.

vVv

**Nyx's POV (again -_-)**

Dinner is a rather pathetic affair. The couple of human's Heidi's managed to scrounge up are weak and limp. Not that it really matters, I think I'm the only one with anything resembling an appetite. Alec doesn't show up, so there are a lot of humans to spare (he usually has an appetite to match mine). Chelsea and Afton are a no-show too. I kind of wish the slaves were allowed eat with us. At least the room wouldn't feel half as empty then. With a heavy sigh, Aro orders the remaining humans to be taken down to the dungeons for later.

He sinks into his throne-chair heavily, looking exhausted. He doesn't even look up when Heidi leads little Sandrine in by the hand. Heidi goes to snatch up a frail looking girl for her, but Sandrine is way ahead of her. With one lithe spring, Sandrine finds herself on a mortal man's shoulders. He screams loudly when she plunges little teeth into his throat. She suckles at the wound while Heidi hovers, wide eyes darting back to the Ancients anxiously. The man sags to his knees and drops, landing face-first on the floor. As soon as he does, Sandrine lifts her little bloody head from his throat, and with a shrill, high pitched growl, lunges herself onto the next nearby human.

The human man is still alive, his heart beating weakly as blood leaks from his venom-infested wound. Heidi acts quickly, reaching down and snapping his neck before Sandrine's venom can spread.

She quickly grows bored of the next human, too, and makes a move for another. Heidi snatches the girl up into her arms and rushes out of the room. Halfway 'round the castle, we can still hear Sandrine's snarls.

Demetri twists the second human's neck, snapping it effortlessly. He follows after Heidi, eyes tight. Corin drifts to my side and nudges me silently with her elbow. I follow her gaze to Caius, who looks far less than impressed with Sandrine's little show. His hands are tight fists on the arms of his throne, his eyes nothing but glinting ruby slits as he stares at the doors where Heidi left.

I guess he's formed his opinion on the immortal child.

"Heidi won't be happy at all," Corin murmurs to me. I swallow deeply. How much grief can this household handle?

vVv

I decide to read. Reading takes concentration and might succeed at taking my mind off things for a little while. However, I've barely flicked the first page when there's a knock at the door.

Oh, just typical.

Rolling my eyes, I heave myself up off my bed and go to answer it. As soon as I open it, a dark, bedragged vampire rushes inside and throws his body against mine, clenching his arms around me and burying his face in my hair.

"Ahhh," I drawl, a little flustered. "I...missed you too?"

"I'm sorry," Alec mumbles, sounding like a little kid who just got pushed in the sandbox.

"S'okay," I reply, nudging the door shut with my foot. I manage to loosen his death grip and find his hand. He looks so downcast that I almost go "_Aawh!_"

Which I doubt he would appreciate.

Looking low and downtrodden, he lets me tow him towards the bed. "C'mon. Let's lie down."

He obeys, crawling up onto the bed after me and lying on his side, my hand still trapped in his. We lie facing eachother, legs entwined, with my head tucked under his chin.

"I'm sorry," he says again, sounding sad. "I don't mean to shut you out."

"I know," I say, as softly and compassionately as I can. I pull back from him for a minute, looking him in his big black eyes. "I know you are. It's okay. I know you're upset."

His eyes shut, and he gives a very human-sounding, trembled sigh. I lean my hand against the side of his face, slipping my fingers through his hair. He leans his face against mine, holding my body against his. My heart hurts in my chest. I _hate_ seeing him in such pain. For the first time since I've known him, he looks his own age. Like a child. I want to comfort him, make him forget. Even for a while.

His lips graze against mine, and I push closer against him.

His lips on mine are very soft, almost unsure. For once, it's me who takes charge of the kiss, sucking gently on his full lower lip, nipping gingerly with my teeth, flicking my tongue out. Alec sighs and begins returning in kind. All the while his hand is on my waist, ghosting up and down, pushing against the fabric of the shirt I'm wearing.

His touches are so timid, so different from usual that it makes my heart lurch. Eventually, he leans his body into mine, holding me tight against him. I stretch my thigh higher, resting it on his hip. That's where his hand moves, cupping my thigh through the fabric of my pyjamas.

My hand moves away from fisting his hair, down his face. My thumb strokes his cheek briefly before continuing down his neck, over his strong shoulders and chest to his stomach. My fingers dance over his hipbone to the space between. The pad of my index finger finds the soft trail of hair leading from the dip of his bellybutton down below the waist of his uniform trousers. He gives a soft grunt against my lips, his hips shift slightly against my hand. His own hand moves around to the small of my back, holding me close.

I run my thumb up and down his treasure trail repeatedly, mussing the dark hair. Alec gives another, longer sigh, and carefully rolls us so that I'm laying astride him.

Perfect.

I take the oppertunity, snapping his belt buckle open with my fingers. He tenses, his lips stilling against mine, hesitating. I don't. Sliding his zipper down, I run my fingers along the band of his black underwear before slipping my hand inside.

He gasps against my lips. My hand settles into an instant rythym, stroking him tenderly. He hardens almost instantly, stretching the fabric of his underwear to accomodate him. My hand encircles him and he breaks the kiss, throwing his head back against the sheets with his eyes squeezed shut. He pushes upwards against my hand, making small sounds as I stroke and squeeze.

I release a sigh of my own at the feeling of the silky skin beneath my fingers. I've missed it.

His hips find the same rythym as my fingers, rocking into my hand every time I push down against his hilt.

"Nyx," he murmurs, finding my lips again. I break the kiss quickly, sitting up on his thighs. His eyes open, half-lidded, as I ease him out of his underwear and set him free.

With his hands still at my hips, he gazes down at my hand stroking his erection, pushing, pulling, squeezing. He gives a soft moan, eyes sliding shut again.

My free hand reaches for his chest to unbutton his shirt. I pop them open quickly, smoothing my hand over the planes of his chest, grazing my thumb over his nipple, which makes him bite down on his lip. When his shirt is fully open, he sits up, shrugging it off his shoulders. He kisses me again, one hand on the back of my head, the other at my thigh.

I can smell both the scent of his arousal and the scent of mine, each sweet and delicious. My hand tightens and quickens on his shaft as his tongue twines with mine.

Honestly, I can think of _worse_ reasons to break our celibacy pact. He needs me now.

I pop the buttons on my own shirt, slipping it off and leaving me in my bra. My hand twists behind my back and in one swift twitch of my fingers, that's gone too.

Alec groans, a sound from deep in his throat, when I arch my bare chest against his. His right hand cups my breast, his fingers finding my nipple, pinching and rolling, rubbing and pulling. I whimper into his mouth.

I scrape my nails down his torso, pumping his shaft harder. His lips leave mine again, and he starts on my shoulder, his tongue gliding against my skin. I grip my arm around my neck and my hand around his cock, and it hits.

_Oh_.

_God._

"I love you," I gasp, my chest heaving against his. "I love you, Alec!"

**Oh yeah, I'm leaving y'all with that. Gotta say, this has to be my worst cliffy yet. Do they do it or not? Is it all plain sailing from here on out? This is fun ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: THEHUNTER9 IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY READING-INDUCED COMAS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE SLIPPED INTO DUE TO THE UTTER LONGNESS OF THIS CHAPTER. KAY? KAY.**


	30. Kiss My Eyes

**I decided to leave the petition notice up so that more people could see and respond to it, because I sure as fuck know that if they start removing all my favourite stories and my own work, that I won't use fanfiction any more. What would be the point? There are ratings for a reason and if there are retards out there that choose to ignore them and then become all offended by what they read, then they need to get their shit off this site and stop bothering people who actually enjoy reading and writing for everyone else.**

**Anywhos, I got all excited when I realised Hey, this is chapter 30! WOW! Only now it's not (sadface) , so erm...happy 31st chapter!**

**Also, I'm not even gonna apologise for not cranking out another chapter ASAP, because some serious shit is going down wth my family right now and I'm trying to ride it out instead of going all emo about it like some self pitying pussy bitch, so forgive me for fanfiction not being my first priority.**

_This is what I thought, I thought you'd need me,_

_This is what I thought so think me naive,_

_I promise you a heart you promise to keep,_

_Now kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep..._

I'm not entirely sure what I expect from Alec when I gasp out those three condemning words. A hug, maybe? A hug would be nice. I like hugs. Maybe a kiss. One of those head-spinning, stomach-churning, balls-dropping fantastic kisses that Alec is so good at. Or – most likely – a session of hot, passionate sex, after which we carry on loving eachother into the rest of forever, all sunshine and rainbows and fuzzy kittens.

Hah. Right.

Alec freezes up so fast he could be one of those miming acts, the ones that wear black and white stripes and face paints? Yeah, you know the ones. His whole body becomes totally rigid, and his lips freeze at my neck.

My stomach twists. What's going on here? This isn't really what I pictured Alec's reaction to be. My fingers against his skin begin to tremble a little. My fist around his erection loosens shakily.

"Alec?" I whisper, not really sure how to explain the terror shattering through my nerves.

Suddenly, Alec lets out a long, drawn out groan against my neck. Not an aroused sort of groan, but the groan of someone who's in pain.

"What are you _doing_ to me?"

He eases my body off his and lunges off the bed, zipping up his trousers, raking his hands through his hair. I'm left curled up on his bed, half-naked and buzzing, arms wrapped around myself. I'm sure that I must look _quite_ the brat, scowling furiously, glaring daggers at his back.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I hiss, temper catching up with me. This is _not_ the reaction I'd predicted.

Alec turns again, peeking at me under those thick lashes, looking crushed. My heart plummets, all my previous fears rolling up into a tight knot in my belly.

"Why did you say that to me?" He says hoarsely, eyes guarded.

I can practically see his walls going up all over again, monsterous and towering. I want to groan. I can see him shutting down, expression void, eyes empty, mouth a perfect, straight line. Perfectly unreadable. My frustration grows and swells, my teeth draw and gnash together, and my fingers clench to fists, mirroring his.

My dark eyes narrow to fierce slits. "Why do you _think_?" I hiss through my teeth, newborn temper bubbling.

There's a pause. Alec stares at me balefully, his flawless pokerface still in place. My shoulders untense. My whole body slackens in disbelief. Even my hands uncurl, hanging limply by my sides. My mouth parts. My eyes widen. Alec's eyes flicker.

Holy shit.

"Why..._do_ you think?" I ask, my voice hushed. Alec's eyes drop.

"Put some clothes on, please..."

I grab the nearest piece of fabric – one of Alec's tshirts – and tug it down over my head, my eyes never leaving Alec's face.

"You're not seriously trying to change the subject?" I blanch, hopping up and stalking towards him. Alec physically tenses, as if he expects me to slap him. Please. Would I be that melodramatic (short answer: _yes_)? "Come on. Tell me. Why do you think I said it?"

Alec's facade breaks a little. His back hunches over when he shoves his fists into the pockets of his trousers (still bulging with the swell of his erection). He starts scowling at the floorboards, bangs flopping down over his eyes so I can't see them. I growl.

"I cannot believe you're actually sulking right now."

Alec directs his scowl at me, looking petulant. "I am _not_ sulking."

"What else would you fucking call it?" I bite back, my voice treading on a snarl. He looks like some little kid in kindergarten, confined to the corner for stealing someone else's building blocks. "Why do you think I said it?"

Alec glares at my forehead, not meeting my eyes. "Look," he says cooly, voice infuriatingly calm and even. To my utter disbelief, he begins wandering towards the door. "Let's just forget about it, alright? I need to hunt. Why don't you come wi-"

I slam myself into the door so fast that the entire foundation of the wall shakes. Above us, plaster chips and falls in small, powdery chunks. I'm beyond caring.

"You are not going _anywhere_," I hiss, the sounds crackling on my tongue and teeth like those weird popping candies I remember. Anger burns behind my eyes, and Alec recognises it all too well. He relaxes his position, thinking the unoppressive posture will calm me some.

Ah, honey. You really don't know much about women, do ya? Vaginas, yes. Female mindframes? I might as well be talking Alienese...or something...

"Nyx..." Alec says softly, cautiously placing one hand at my elbow, trying to move me away from the door. I stay stuck fast, eyes slitted furiously. "It's alright," Alec soothes, trying to appeal to the part of my mind that isn't totally consumed by temper.

Funny how he actually thinks that part exists.

"_Sit_," I order, my voice nothing but a hushed growl.

Alec's black eyes flicker. Obviously he doesn't like the idea of following my orders, but is he going to risk fucking me off even further?

Grudgingly, he begins backing into my bedroom, eyes never leaving my face. He's not sure what I'm up to. I stalk forward, keeping pace with his every step. Face plastered with caution, he backs slowly until the backs of his thighs hit my bed. He pauses, monitering my expression. I level a stare at him, arms folded.

Obviously displeased, he sinks into the mattress, eyes tight. I stand over him like a jail warden. All I'm missing is one of those baton thingies and a greasy box of doughnuts. Or do they just apply to cops? Alec shifts uncomfortably, drawing my every attention back to him.

Satisfied that he's not going to attempt to jump ship again, I rock back on my heels, watching his face.

Eventually, the silence becomes too much for him.

"_Nyx_," he implores, sounding a little desperate. I know he's aching to be back down in the infirmary with Jane. The seconds are ticking away and he's getting antsy. Cruel though it might be, I'm more than willing to hold him captive here until I get my answers.

Which, judging by the hard set of his eyes, could be a long fucking while yet.

Question is, does he have the balls to use his power against me? Even if he does, it takes it's sweet time. Mine is a lot faster, but do I have the concentration right now to control it properly? If this is going to turn into an epic battle of the superpowers, we both know he'll be making the first move. I'm the one who has _him_ trapped.

"Nyx, look, I..." Alec hesitates. I quirk a brow. I can see him fighting a scowl. "I...I'm..." I can visibly see him swallowing the last of his male pride, and I battle the urge to snort. "I'm _sorry_, alright? I know I didn't react..._well_-"

"Understatement," I mutter.

Alec's eyes sharpen. "Shush. What I'm trying to say...is...I apologise."

There's a beat of silence. Mostly because I want him to suffer a little more. He stares up at me through those thick lashes, putting on the cute face.

"I need to get back to Jane," he says, a little urgently. "We'll talk later..."

He begins to rise.

Lifting my leg, I slam my foot into his chest – a move I learned from him – and shove him fiercely back onto the bed. Gasping as his back sinks into the mattress, he stares up at me, half shocked, half furious. I zip forward, and I move so I'm half-straddling him. Not in a sexual way. Trust me, I'm far from in the mood for _that_ anymore. Still standing with one leg brushing the outside of his right thigh, I prop my other foot up onto the mattress on the other side of him, restraining him.

"No," I purr, voice velvety and soft. "We'll talk now."

A sound slips through his teeth; part snarl, part grumble. He sits up properly, folding his arms over his chest.

"You never answered my question," I say.

"What question?" Alec asks, playing innocent. I growl.

"Don't play dumb with me," I snarl. "I _asked_ you, why do you think I said _it_?"

I'm unwilling to say the words again.

I can see Alec's Adam's Apple bobbing in his throat at he swallows. He's not nervous, he's reatraining his own anger. When he finally answers me, his voice is sharp.

"You want an answer? _Fine_. I think you said it because you felt sorry for me and wanted to make me feel better. There," he snaps bitterly. "Happy?"

Honestly, it was the answer I was expecting. But hearing it come from his lips makes me reel back a little, hurt flickering in my chest.

Alec's eyes drop again. He looks like he regrets saying it already.

_Good_.

"Wow," I exhale shakily. "Nice to know you think so highly of me."

"I didn't mean it in a bad way," Alec says, watching my face for any signs of impending violence.

"Do you really think I'm that..._shallow_?" I ask. It's my turn to sound bitter. "That I would throw that statement away just to get some from you?"

"No," Alec says, looking mildly horrified. "Not at all. Don't put words in my mouth! I just _meant_ that I thought you said it because you wanted to take my mind off things." He cringes a tiny bit at the reminder of his comatose twin. "Because you care about me. Because you..."

"Love you," I finish. Alec breathes deeply. I feel a little shaky as he gazes up at me. The look in his eyes is so tender and intimate that it makes my chest squeeze. In one quick move, he grabs my waist and pulls me properly into his lap.

"Exactly," he murmurs.

He captures my lips in a soft kiss. Sighing against his mouth, I wrap my arms around his neck. The kiss is very sweet, and so tender that it makes my eyes prick a little. It's sentiment I never expected from him. Never thought him capable of.

Alec breaks the kiss with a small chuckle. "When did you become such a..."

I cock my head, eyes narrowing a tiny bit. "Choose your words carefully."

He smiles. A proper smile. "Such a vampire," he finishes, teeth shining wolfishly. I shrug, grinning widely.

"I dunno. Ask Vladimir."

"Rather not," Alec replies. He reaches for my hands, lacing his fingers with mine. "You know..." He purrs, semi-seriously. "If you're still in the mood..."

I snatch my hands back and flick him in the temple.

"Ow," he mumbles.

"Nice try," I say playfully, hopping up out of his lap. Alec sighs with real disappointment. "Come on," I say, grabbing his hand again and pulling him up and towards the door.

"By the way, introducing the likes of Vladimir to my train of thought really doesn't put a girl in the mood."

vVv

We go to sit by Jane. By the door, are two more hulking vampires. I guess Aro's brought in bodyguards for Jane. I think I recognise the pair. Two brunettes, one with hair as long as Aro's, but far more disheveled, and one with short spikes. Both grim-faced and stern uniforms indicate that they're part of the Lower Guard. They incline their heads respectfully to Alec when he breezes through them into the infirmary, but they give me a strange once-over. Obviously making sure that I'm supposed to be there, that the newborn isn't going to cause trouble.

The air is heavy with melancholy and mourning. I scooch my chair up beside Alec's at first, my head tucked under his chin. But after a couple of minutes of synchronised breathing, Alec pulls me up into his lap, nuzzling me softly. I purr, my lips against his jaw.

We aren't there for long.

Chelsea sweeps into the room, looking a lot more like her majestic self. Maybe because she's dressed in her full uniform, cloak brushing the ground with every step. Her black eyes are hard.

I feel a tad bit embarrassed being all twined up with Alec, but he doesn't seem to have any qualms with it. Chelsea doesn't even seem to notice.

"Get ready," she tells us. "Get dressed properly and come to the Hall. We have jurisdiction to pass."

vVv

I have an inkling to what this is about, but I try to distract myself from the thought as I dress in my uniform. I sling my Volturi necklace around my throat absentmindedly, playing Evanescence songs in my head. Alec knocks on my door.

Fastening my cloak quickly, I breeze towards the door and slip outside where Alec's waiting, his own uniform pin-neat.

"Are you ready?" He asks.

This will be my first official execution. Alec and I move at full vampire speed to the Great Hall, hand in hand. Though I'm trying hard to psych myself up, my fingesr still tremble. Alec gives my hand a soft, reassuring squeeze as we enter. I detatch from Alec, feeling self conscious. Instantly I miss the security of his hand in mine, but he compensates by placing his hand against the small of my back and leading me through the huge doors, where everyone is waiting.

Everybody looks stony-faced and sober, even Santiago and Corin. Chelsea stands near the thrones with Afton, looking like an avenging Goddess. I know she's had a hand in this decision. Aro obliges her, values her opinion.

Alec guides me up towards the thrones too. We stand off by Caius's throne. Caius, who looks less grim than usual. I suppose this position near the thrones is kind of honorable. This is Alec and Jane's place in these Court Trials. I guess I'm like Afton in this way; a powerful mate means a powerful position.

From here I can glance over the entire room. This is how I realise that not everybody's here. Not yet.

Low whispered conversations pass through the room. Everyone's waiting for the arrival. Aro gazes over us all, deep in thought. I turn to Alec, wanting confirmation of the obvious.

"Is this...what I think it is?" I murmur. Alec squeezes my waist, lowering his head to mine.

"Yes."

The doors swing open. All conversation silences immediately.

In walks Demetri, guiding Heidi, who looks like she needs the help. Her eyes are black and empty, like she's on a trip or something. In her arms, she holds Sandrine. The little girl plays with Heidi's hair, tugging at it and twining it through her tiny fingers. I notice that the shoulders of Heidi's blouse, and the cuffs and forearms of Demetri's shirt, are totally ravaged. Torn and shredded by tiny teeth and fingernails.

The three of them walk forward into the centre of the room. Murmurs start up again, sounding unhappy. Nobody wanted this. I spot Renata, by Aro, watching Heidi with a look of compassion on her face. Heidi holds her head high, unwilling to let us all see just how attached she's grown.

I recall the story, lost in the depths of my once-human mind, of Heidi's dead baby daughter. My throat dries.

Aro stands, but doesn't move forward. "The council has come to a decision," he announces, his voice a lot less...Aro-y than usual. I know he didn't want this either. This ill-fated infant never had a chance.

"A unanimous vote," Caius tacks on, looking like he just wants to get on with things already.

"We cannot ignore our own laws," Aro says sadly. "No matter the circumstance."

Sandrine doesn't understand. She toys with Demetri's collar. He glances sideways at her, looking unhappy. I wonder what exactly his opinion towards the immortal child changed. Probably the moment Marcus placed her in Heidi's arms. Demetri could never hate something that Heidi loves.

"The child has proved herself a risk. She is unable to control herself where her thirst is concerned, and cannot restrain her own strength. Her most primal instincts are front and foremost and she is too young to consider or think logically. She is...dangerous," Aro says. He sinks back into his throne chair, mouth set regretfully. "Chelsea, dear?"

Afton gives Chelsea's hair a soft stroke before she moves forward, eyes locked on Heidi. Heidi's eyes slide shut, her chin quivering. Demetri gazes at Chelsea's face, catching her eye.

"Please," he murmurs. Chelsea nods, understanding.

"Heidi," she says softly, her voice soothing at gentle. "Give me the child."

Heidi's eyes flash open again, shiny with welling venom tears. Chelsea waits patiently while Heidi says a silent goodbye, scooping Sandrine's straight red hair back off her little face, and placing a kiss on her small white forehead.

Sandrine still doesn't understands. When Heidi's trembling hands pass her to Chelsea, she goes willingly, not sensing the danger. Her head whips back to Heidi questioningly when Heidi gives a soft sob.

Chelsea's gaze deepens.

Heidi's body physically changes in Demetri's arms. Her shoulders sag from the tense position they were in, her back straightens, and her expression clears. In fact, she looks mildly confused. Then, nothing.

I understand. Chelsea's severing her bond to Sandrine so that Heidi won't grieve so badly, won't act rashly. This was what Demetri asked for. He'd rather have heid forget her love for the child than mourn her.

I can't decide just how I feel about that.

"Don't watch," Chelsea says softly. Demetri nods. Glancing to Aro for permission, he turns Heidi and leads her out of the hall. The door shuts behind them.

Chelsea places the confused little girl on the ground, keeping one hand on her hair. Sandrine places a hand on her own throat, gazing up at Chelsea imploringly.

"Tirsty," she lisps, not pronouncing the word right, forgetting the 'h' altogether. Chelsea smiles down at her gently.

"I know."

Placing her hand on the back of the girl's head, she leads her forward, towards the thrones. Standing behind Sandrine, she strokes a thumb over the girl's cherubic cheek. Chelsea looks to Aro, who nods.

"Proceed."

Caius tears his eyes away from the immortal child, turning towards Alec and I. I'm frozen beside him.

"Alec. If you will," Caius says.

I understand again. This is their way of being merciful. Not making the little girl really experience death. Just darkness.

Alec nods obediently, and concentrates. I try not to distract him , but I can't seem to help grabbing his hand. He squeezes back absently, his eyes locked on the child.

That strange oozing mist appears, crawling and creeping towards Sandrine. Again, she misunderstands. She smiles, batting at it with her hand. As soon as her hand touches the substance, she makes a small sound of shock and snatches her hand back, unnerved by the numb feeling. As it keeps advancing towards her, and shrinks back, not wanting to touch it. She presses back against Chelsea, who holds her in place, still cupping her little face.

The mist engulfs her quickly. Her small body sags a little, and she gives a whimper of fear. In the same second, Chelsea's hand tightens, and she removes the child's head.

vVv

There really only needed to be two people at this meeting. Alec and Chelsea, to bestow mercy upon the people involved. The rest of us were only here for the sake of it, really. To observe official proceedings.

Aro orders Sandrine's ashes to be gathered. He will offer them to Heidi. Though after Chelsea's interference, she might not be bothered with them.

"Now," Aro says, his voice brighter than before. I suppose he's seen enough executions for this one to roll right off his back. I can't recover quiet so quickly. Alec touches my face, silently asking if I'm alright after what I've just seen. I turn my head to graze his fingertips with my lips, reassuring him that I'm not about to flee screaming.

Or so I hope, at least.

"Another order of business," Aro says. "The gifted young lad that was brought home to us," Aro nods towards me.

I haven't seen that kid since. I was right when I guessed that he was past the immortal child age. Eleven years old. He's been in the care of the Lower Guard. Aro wouldn't trouble his most precious followers with something as tedious as _babysitting_.

"After careful scrutiny, I have decided that his gift, though certainly impressive, is not quite enough to earn him a place amongst the Guard."

Extreme chagrin flushed through my body. The reason for that fucking mission was to locate this kid! Take out his coven for treason and take him for ourselves. Jane found him, and almost got killed doing it. And now we're being told that the kid wasn't even worth the fucking effort?!

A soft growl rolls through my lips, which goes ignored by the Ancients but earns me some questioning glances from my fellow Guard members.

I expect Alec to rubuke me. Give me a squeeze or a shake to remind me where I am and what my place is. But he doesn't. His entire form is rigid. When I glance up at his face, his expression is livid, his eyes flaring. I realise wuickly that his thought are along the same lines as mine. He knows that Jane's sacrifice is all in vain, too.

Aro ignores us both. "But what to do with the boy," he muses.

"It would be...irresponsible to release him by himself," Marcus inputs, his voice as grave as usual. "He is too young."

"What's his power?" Corin asks curiously.

"Something akin to Phoenix's talent," Aro shrugs. I blink. "He can put ideas in your head. Thoughts or impulses. Something like what a scizophrenic would experience. For example, he could persuade a mentally stable man to pick up a gun and shoot himself all through interfering with his mind. But it does not always work. It is more effective on those with weaker minds, like mortals or the young. But those with enough mental strength and knowledge could shake off his persuasion with ease."

Sounds like a pretty freaking good power to me! Why on earth couldn't he stay in the lower Guard or some shit? Humor those of us who went off and risked our lives to retrieve the little bastard!

"Carlisle or Eleazar would be willing to take him, but their houses are full already..." Aro ponders, remindng everyone about the slaves that're staying with the vegetarian covens until they find it in themselves to wander off alone.

"I know," Aro says brightly. "We shall send the lad to Egypt. As I recall, we owe Amun a talented boy," Aro smiles deviously.

I blink rapidly. I haven't got the slightest idea who this Amun character is or why Aro owes him, but I'm still seething. When Aro dismisses us all, Alec grips my hand tightly and all but drags me from the room, severely pissed.

vVv

Seeing as Heidi hasn't had the chance to go and fetch us any food, Aro sends us all out hunting. Felix and Afton have been tasked with hauling that kid to Egypt, so they need to fill up for the journey. I'm kinda glad the boy isn't coming hunting with us, or I might just kill him out of spite.

Well, if Alec doesn't get there first.

Alec's clearly angry that his sister is lying unconscious for nothing. He's silent as we all run past the Volterra borders into the nearest city.

We feed as a group at first, stopping in an apartment building so we can burn it to the ground when we're finished and make it look like one big tragedy. Chelsea stays behind to be with Jane. Demetri tried to get Heidi to stay home, too, but she decided she was hungry. Things are a teeny bit awkward seeing as she's acting like everything's perfectly normal and doesn't appreciate all the strange glances she's getting.

"We should split off," Demetri suggests eventually, sensing just how tense Heidi's becoming. She'll be snapping necks any second now. "That way we won't draw too much attention to one area."

"But-" Santiago gets a mighty glaring for his protest, not just from Demetri but from half the others. With wide, innocent eyes, he turns his attention back to his meal. I guess Demetri wants to take Heidi for some..._relaxation_, as it were. Something I doubt anyone would appreciate going down right here.

Except maybe Corin. But, eh, that's Corin. She's freaky.

Demetri and Heidi drop out a window. It's dark, so they won't be seen. I follow quickly, needing a word or ten with my Mentor.

"_Demetri_," I hiss, once my feet grace the ground. They both turn, looking a little surprised to see me.

"What?" Demetri asks, obviously irritated that I'm holding them up. Heidi looks at me blankly, looking a little stoned.

"I need a word with you," I say angrily.

Demetri bristles. He turns to Heidi. "Go on, love," he murmurs, his voice sickly sweet. "I'll catch up with you."

Heidi says nothing as she turns on her heel and disappears down an alleyway. Demetri watches after her, grimacing.

"Alright, I understand that your first execution can be a bit daunting. Especially-" He says all this without even looking at me, and I roll my eyes.

"That's not what I want to talk about," I sigh. "Though that wasn't exactly a fun time, either."

Demetri turns to me, finally honoring me with his attention. I roll my eyes again. "Listening now?"

"Sorry," he mumbles, shaking his head. "What is it?"

"The mission!" I reply, unable to keep the disbelieving anger out of my tone.

"What about it?"

"Well, you never exactly mentioned to me that it would be a total fucking waste of time!" I exclaim. "We went, killed some bad vampires, sure. But the _kid_."

"What about him? He'll be fine. He's going to Egypt, isn't he?"

"Yeah. But after _all_ that effort, and Jane getting hurt just so we can get our hands on him, we give him away? I just don't understand."

Demetri sighs. "I told you: Fools errand. It was no mistake finding him. We needed to make sure that his talent was no threat. Especially where the Romanians are involved. It would not do for them to gain _any_ more power for themselves."

I grimace, my face twisting. Demetri gives a humorless chuckle.

"The fact is that his talent just isn't enough to earn him a place in the Volturi. Aro doesn't accept just anyone."

"That makes no sense," I say, frustrated. "Aro accepted _me_ out of the blue. And Felix and Santiago have no powers whatsoever."

Demetri smiles. "Supernatural talent isn't _all_ Aro looks for. Felix is...well, you've _seen_ Felix," he chuckles again. "And Santiago is a huge part of how we function, especially with the world changing the way it is. Hell, I still remember the day they invented the lightbulb."

And I have to grin. "Yeah, well, you're old."

"Thanks," Demetri says sarcastically. "Santiago does an indescribable amount for us thanks to his weird affinity for technology. It's a huge help, going as far as neutralising enemies or something as silly as finding out who ran up the internet bill. Which, more often than not, is him."

I grin. "Sounds right."

"And, I think Aro would have brought you into the Guard whether you had a talent or not," Demetri says, surprising me.

"Really? Why?"

Demetri grins. "I think he always knew you were for Alec. And how could he deny his favourite boy anything?"

I laugh. It sounds so strange after the last few stress-filled days that I have to pin my lips together. Demetri turns to leave.

"Oh, wait," I call. "Who's Amun? Aro said something about oweing him a talented boy."

Demetri's smile widens into a face-splitting grin, and he laughs. "I don't know whether Amun will appreciate that or not. Amun is _my_ creator. Aro took me from him when he heard of my tracking abilities. He has a new golden child now, but he's never really gotten over my leaving him so willingly."

"Why did you leave?" I ask curiously, realising that I don't know much about Demetri's past at all.

Demetri shrugs. "I suspect Chelsea had something to do with it. Amun told me that if I left, not to bother ever coming back. And I didn't."

I can't help but think that Demetri's a little sad about that. I smile brightly. "I want to meet him."

Demetri blinks spastcally. "You're joking."

"Nope."

"That's a very bad idea."

"You think _all_ my ideas are bad ideas."

"Because they are!"

"Not _all_ of them!"

"Well, this one is."

"I don't care. I want to meet your sire and share embarrassing stories about you."

Demetri scowls. "Amun hates the Volturi. And I hate to break it to you, Nyx, but you're a Volturi! If he saw you in that uniform he'd run for the hills!"

I glance down at my uniform, a little bloody in places. I frown. "I could wear regular clothes."

"It hardly matters. Amun is terribly paranoid. Felix and Afton are going to have quite a job trying to find him. Amun is not exactly what you and I would call sane."

I shrug. "Neither are a lot of people I know. Aro isn't terribly sane himself."

Demetri grins again. "I can't argue there. Fine. If you want to go and track down Amun at some point just to hear embarrassing stories about me, then be my guest. Amun isn't exactly a hospitable host, and you are rubbish at tracking."

"Oh no, you have to come with me!" I declare. "Hell, I don't know where Egypt is! Besides, how would I even start looking?"

"That would be your problem, young Phoenix. There isn't a thing you could say or so to me that could _ever_ make me take you to Egypt! Now, I'm going hunting. Goodnight."

Before I can argue, he turns and takes off after Heidi, running like his heels are on fire. I grin wickedly, folding my arms.

Ah, Demetri. You underestimate me. Besides, I have the rest of eternity to convince you, don't I?

vVv

I feel sorry for Alec's meals as his teeth ravage their throats, making for some seriously gory effects. He's so impatient that when he yanks their arms back they dislocate, break, and come about _this _ close to being removed from their pitifully soft bodies. His clothes are soaked with blood by the time he's finished and he doesn't even seem to notice.

Corin eyes him critically. "Hey. Psycho-Shit. You got a little something," she taps her chin.

"Yes _mother_," Alec snaps. He wipes roughly at his face with his bloody sleeve, which doesn't help. Insteda of coming off, the blood smears all over his face, giving him the closest thing to a beard he could ever hope to have. For the first time all evening, I have to press my lips together to stop from grinning. I'm in a better mood thanks to my little chat with Demetri and I've fed some, glad to ease the burn in my throat. Alec's foul temper hasn't really improved much, though.

I guess he's a messy eater when he's mad. Though I can't say much, I'm a messy eater all the time.

"Maybe we should split off," Felix says after a while. I guess he wants to get out of explosion distance. Not that I really blame him – Alec's like a ticking bomb.

Alec doesn't seem to notice everyone gradually clearing out until he looks up from his feast and blinks, discovering the room empty apart from him and me.

He smiles a little wanly. "Am I that scary?"

Stepping over a couple of pale corpses, I slip into his welcoming arms. Despite his gory appearance, his expression is soft. Smiling, I wipe my index finger down his cheek, coating it in blood.

"This doesn't really help," I tease. "You look like something out of a bad horror movie."

Alec's newly red eyes roll like marbles. "Look who's talking!"

"I have an excuse," I say smugly. "I'm a newborn."

"A baby," Alec mocks. I scowl playfully.

Alec chuckles darkly, flicking his tongue out and dragging it up my bloody finger. The electricity that spreads through my body at the sensation of his warm, wet tongue gliding against my skin almost makes my knees buckle. I'm pretty sure my expression is a sight to behold: totally dumb and stupified. Alec's eyes don't leave my face as he takes my finger between his full red lips and sucks down.

_Oh holy motherfuck_.

This isn't fair! I'm not supposed to get turned on by having various parts of me sucked, he is! And yet I can feel my body reacting to his mouth around my finger. I have to press my lips together to keep from embarrassing myself. It doesn't help that Alec keeps his eyes on mine the whole time, watching my every reaction.

"What are you doing?" I murmur, my voice high with distress. Alec smiles, releasing my finger with one last token lick.

"Cleaning you," he replies, eyes gleaming. "You're dirty."

Deciding to give him a taste of his own medicine, I grip his head in my hands and turn it sideways, exposing his cheek and jaw to me. His skin is wet with fresh blood, which makes venom pool in my mouth. Leaning in, I drag the very tip of my tongue along his jawline, and up his face, gathering blood. Alec clings tighter to my body, one hand pressing against the small of my back, the other against my ass.

I lap at him deliately, teasing him. With a low growl, he lifts a hand to grip my jaw firmly, pulling my face away from his. With burning eyes, he returns the favour. Flattening his tongue, he runs it along my chin, gathering the remnants of my own meal.

We continue this way for several minutes, interrupting eachother to return in kind. Eventually, it becomes too much, and Alec crushes his lips to mine, forcing my mouth open with than damn talented tongue. I meet it eagerly with mine, and as they twine together, I can taste blood on him, which provokes a deep moan.

We keep kissing deeply, bodies pinned together, hands roaming. Eventually Alec breaks away, sounding breathless.

"Don't start something you don't intend to finish," he breathes heavily.

And I get it. We're so close to acomplishing our compromise. He doesn't want to give in just yet.

Smiling, I give him a soft, chaste kiss. "Let's go home."

vVv

We two are the first home. Everyone else is still out hunting. Chelsea is still dutifully by Jane's side. We go there straightaway, but she takes one look at us and shakes her head, looking amused.

"Go. Bathe. You're both dripping on the floor."

I blink, glancing down. It's true. The cuffs of Alec's shirt and both our cloaks are dripping crimson. "Alright," he mutters, watching his sister.

"Things are improving," Chelsea says softly. "The venom is doing it's job."

"So, she'll heal fully?" I ask eagerly. Chelsea nods.

"Of course. Given time." She smiles. "She _is_ immortal."

The three of us grin stupidly. Then Chelsea waves her hand at us. "Go and change. I pity the person that has to clean up your mess."

"I thought we were clean," I complain as we turn and leave again. We bypass the two bodyguards, still standing like statues.

"I guess we're not too good at grooming," Alec replies, plucking at his shirt, which is all but dry from the run home, just a little damp. His fingers come away red.

"Demetri is going to take me to Egypt," I announce proudly. Alec turns to me, brows up in his hairline, a bemused smile on his face.

"Is he now?"

"Nope. But that is the sentance you will hear me say in a few months time after I've annoyed him so much that he'll do anything to shut me up."

Alec gives a quiet laugh. "I look forward to that. I guarantee Santiago will be following the two of you with a video camera constantly – it can get annoying."

I get a sudden flash of imagery – Alec and I _performing_ for a video camera. I grin.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just nice to know there's filming equiptment within reach if we ever want to borrow it."

Alec gets my drift immediately. A wide, wicked smile graces his face. "You're quite kinky, you know that?"

"Of course," I smile. "By the way, how opposed are you to handcuffs?"

Alec looks devious. It'd be a little scary if I wasn't so used to it. "Flimsy things. But I have no opposition to handcuffs so long as I'm not the one wearing them."

My lips slide into a pout. "Aw. Spoilsport."

We change into cosy clothes, sweatpants and old t-shirts. The both of us curl up in the lounge, entwined on the sofa, watching some old western movie. It gives me an idea.

"Hey, can we watch Brokeback Mountain? I've never seen it."

Alec eyes me up like I just asked to go skydiving into a pool of lava. "Not a chance."

"Oh, please? Come on! Don't be such a homophobe."

"I'm not a homophobe," Alec says defensively. "I was just brought up in a different time with very rigid social expectations. And pardon me for not wanting to spend my evening watching two men getting it on on an enormous screen."

"Sounds fun to me," I retort cheerfully. "It's can't be worse than _this_ cockfest. I had no idea that the old West had so much homoerotic tension."

Alec frowns at me. "I was _in_ the old West, I'll have you know. And there was never any gay sex tension when _I_ was there."

I poke my tongue out at him "Maybe because you scared all the hopefuls away with your homophobic vibe."

Alec grumbles. "Let's just watch."

After several minutes of what can only be described as flirting between shiny, dirty tanned men with their metaphorical guns, I get a thought.

"So...you wouldn't want a threesome then?"

Alec's head whips around, eyes wide. "You would agree to a threesome?"

I shrug. "Sure I would. Would you?"

Alec grins. "I've _had_ threesomes, Nyxie. They're very fun."

"Ah...I think you're getting the wrong end of the stick, here. I mean with another guy."

Alec's eager expression shuts down quicker than a dieting woman's willpower in an icecream parlour. "Not a _chance_."

I huff. "Prude."

Alec smirks at me. "You know that isn't true, Nyxie..."

"Then why not...experiment?"

"I'd rather chop my balls off and give them to you, thankyou very much."

I pout, putting on my most adorable expression. "You'd never ever take a little dick? Not even for me?"

Alec sighs, cupping my face in his hand. "Nyx, I would kill for you, die for you, and everything in between. But the one thing I would never, _ever_ do for you, is take a cock in the ass."

I burst out laughing. "Alright! That I accept. But answer me this...you've never even kissed another guy?"

"Never, not once," he replies, looking vaguely sick. Yeah, he's _so_ not a homophobe. "What about you, have you ever kissed a girl?"

"Sure I have," I say lightly. "As a human, at parties and such."

"Really?" Alec grins, looking very boyish in this moment. I can only imagine what he's picturing in his head.

"Mind out of the gutter, pal."

Alec grins bashfully, caught out. He gives me a light squeeze. "Would you actually like to have a threesome?"

I shrug. "Sure. Maybe. In the future. Not yet. Why? Reconsidering the cock?" I wink.

"Not even a little," Alec shudders. "But seeing as you've kissed girls and apparantly have no problem with it, I gather you'd have no problem inviting another woman into the bedroom?"

I pause, thinking it over. My first thought is _why not_? But when I imagine it, imagine another girl with her hands on Alec, her legs wrapped around his waist, her lips on his skin, fire burns in my stomach and posessiveness grips me hard. I'd never be able to share him that way. Besides, seeing another girl shagging my mate wasn't likely to put me in the mood.

Alec watches my expression change with every passing thought, his face growing smugger and smugger. I scowl up at him.

"You're clever."

"I know."

I sigh deeply. "Alright. I get it. No threesomes for us."

I should have guessed with how posessive Alec is, that watching me getting it on with another guy would be more likely to bring out the homicidal maniac in him than the horny teenage boy.

"Thank you. I'm glad you see things my way," he murmurs, nuzzling my temple.

"Well, just be glad I'm the jealous type," I mumble, finding his lips. He kisses me gently. We're just starting to get _cosy_ when someone crashes through the door, gasping.

Alec and I spring apart guiltily, embarrassed to get caught. But when we turn and see that it's just one of Jane's guards, Alec frowns ferociously.

"What?" He growls.

The guard gasps out; "Jane- Your sister! She's awake!"

vVv

When we get there, Chelsea is crying. Aro, Caius and Marcus are already there. Alec bursts through the swinging doors with me right on his heels.

Jane's laying back in the bed. She looks fine, absolutely perfect, just tired. She watches everyone with half-lidded black eyes, which swivel towards the door when Alec races in, hardly daring to believe it.

"Jane!" He gasps, rushing forward. He finds her lily-white hand and clasps it tight, bending down to place a kiss on her forehead.

She smiles up at him. "Nice to see you too, brother."

I cringe a little, waiting for her to spot me and unleash her talent on me for getting her stabbed. I move quietly to stand by Aro, who's smiling delightedly.

"It's wonderful to have you with us again, little one," he croons to her, happily patting me on the head with every word. Jane looks amused.

"Do you remember what happened?" Caius asks, looking far less evil than usual. I guess he's glad to have his secret weapon back, too.

Jane nods. "Yes. Did we get the boy?"

Aro nods. "He is of no use to us. We have decided to send him to Amun."

Alec and I sport identical grimaces.

Jane nods. "What day is it?"

"You've been out for four days, Janie," Alec says gently. Jane's brow furrows a little, trying to grasp this.

"Oh," she replies. "Well, fill me in, then."

Marcus and Caius leave after a few minutes, and I snag the oppertunity to escape too, ducking under Caius's arm and all but sprinting out the door. Aro, Alec and Chelsea stay with Jane, bringing her up to date with everything.

The others return home soon afterwards, and when I tell them Jane's awake and well , their happy cries and cheers echo through the castle. It's like a silent tension lifts from everyone's shoulders. Felix and Afton seem a lot more willing to trek off to Egypt. Corin gives Renata a great smacking kiss on the cheek, which prompts a whistle from Felix and Renata scrubbing at her cheek in horror.

Everybody cosies up in the Lounge together (and no one bu Corin takes my suggestion to watch Brokeback Mountain, so we're stuck watching some stupid movie that might as well be a porno). Some chick's getting her nipples sucked when Alec walks in.

He blinks at the screen, one eyebrow raised, and gances down at me, sandwiched somewhere between Afton and Renata.

"Er, Nyx?" He asks. Every head in the room cranes around to stare at him as if he called them all by name. He rolls his eyes. "Nyx. Jane wants you."

Aaaaaaaaand apocalypse.

"Da da daaaaaaaan," Santiago bursts out, earning a few snickers. Wondering if it would be insensitive to bring a huge wooden cross to hide behind, I groan fearfully and wriggle out of my nice cosy spot.

"It's okay," Alec chuckles, taking my hand as he tows me downstairs. "She just wants to talk."

"Which translates to...?"

"Oh...nail guns, hot wax, chains and whips," Alec says cheerfully. He laughs at my expression. "I'm kidding, Nyx. She really just wants to talk."

"What would she do with a nail gun?" I whisper, horrified.

Alec pauses outside the door. I stop too, looking at him expectantly. The same expression is mirrored on his face.

"Well, go on," he prompts. I stare at him.

"_Alone_?" I squeak.

Alec sighs. "Look, if I tell you something will you go in?"

I narrow my eyes suspiciously. "Depends on what you have to tell me."

Taking a deep breath and glancing at the doors, he whispers: "You're taller than her."

I grin widely, giving an evil little chuckle. "I am taller, aren't I?"

Alec shakes his head, smiling. "Yes, you are. Now go on in."

I do, still very reluctant. Nudging the doors open slightly, I throw myself inside before I can chicken out. What's a little burning pain in comparison to my pride, really?

Jane's propped up on plump white pillows, eyes boring into me the second I come in the door. I'm not feeling the usual frosty vibe between us, but a kind of...indifference.

"Er...hi," I say, awkward as fuck. I fumble with my fingers as I approach the bed. My eyes dart back towards the door. Not really contemplating escape, but listening. I know Alec must be eavesdropping. Maybe not out of nosyness but out of concern for both Jane and myself. She's weak and I could beat her down, but she could have me on my back before I even tried. He must be chewing his fingernails off.

Jane nods at me formally. "I want to talk to you."

I cringe a little over the impending onslaught. "Yeah, so I hear."

She looks so much younger and sweeter laying back with har hair loose and face free of all that dark eye makeup she wears. But I'm not fooled. I'm ready to duck and cover.

Jane sighs, looking like she's struggling. "I wanted to say..." She frowns deeply. "I wanted to say...thank...you."

I blink. I blink again. Oh, I'm sorry. I seem to have forgotten how to _breathe_.

"Wh-_What_?" I stammer, shocked. Jane grimaces.

"Don't make this harder for me," she complains. "I'm trying to...extend my gratitude."

"I get that," I say, my voice high with surprise. "But..._why_?"

Jane looks exsasperated. I half expect her to say 'Alec made me,' but she doesn't. She folds her arms petulantly and half-glares. "I suppose you saved my life."

"Oh. That."

"Hmm."

I pause awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. Personally, I prefer our animosity any day over this whole uncomfortable forced-friendliness. Even though it's not really that friendly at all.

I stretch my shoulders back as I plunge my hands into my pockets, rocking back on my heels. "Well...you're welcome, I guess. I mean, you are Alec's sister."

Jane nods, her face smoothing out. "That's the other thing I wanted to mention," she says. She sighs deeply. "Though it pains me to admit it, I'm...I'm glad that my brother has you."

A smile spreads across my face, and my pearly, venomous teeth shine. "Wow. I-"

"Don't get too excited," Jane interrupts quickly. "I still can't stand you."

I roll my eyes, still grinning. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Jane nods again. The corners of her full mouth twitch a little, and for a second I think she might just smile – but as quickly as it begins her not-smile falls into the grim, straight line she usually wears.

"Good. Now leave. Please. I'd like to rest," she says, dismissing me. Rolling my eyes again, I give a small wave before turning on my heel and making my way back towards the twin swinging doors.

"Oh," Jane calls. I turn my head curiously. "For the record," she says coolly. "You are _not_ taller than me."

Alec is waiting for me outside, leaning against the wall, smiling. The smile brightens his whole face, making him look young and sweet. I grin in return.

"I knew you'd be eavesdropping," I accuse. He shrugs himself away from the wall and pulls me quickly into his arms.

"Punish me, then."

"Ooh," I smirk. "Are we revisting the idea of the handcuffs?"

"Maybe," Alec purrs, capturing my lips in a feiry kiss.

The moment is blatantly shattered when Jane shrieks from inside the infirmary. "I can still _hear_ you!"

Alec blanches, looking vaguely sick. "Maybe we should leave," he mumbles, towing me down the hall. "She may be little and bedbound, but she can still kick _my_ ass."


	31. Beautiful With You

**FYI, because my family is so boring and poor I haven't been to an airport since my brother and I were wearing matching booties, so needless to say I don't know jack shit about flight proceedures aside from what I've seen on TV. So if I've got some stuff wrong here, blame my dad's tendancy to drive everwhere in his fucking enormous monster truck.**

**Also, I've never been to Paris, so I have got absolutely no idea about anything there (hell, I'm flunking French), so I'm pretty much making everything up. Sue meh. Why did I choose to send Nyx and Alec to Paris if I know nothing about it, you ask? Well not only did it seem a tad bit more romantic than Detroit or Arizona, but by the time I actually realised how little I knew of France, I'd already published the chapter with Alec promising Paris and damn it, Alec keeps his promises!**

**My long suffering follower Mel: Yes, I did see Breaking Dawn part 2. You'd think that a movie making squillions could afford some better baby facial effects, but whatever -.- I don't wanna spoil it for anyone, so AVERT YOUR GAZES CHILDREN, but when a certain someone popped another certain someone's body up up and away I nearly shrieked "NO! I LOVE THAT BODY, PUT IT BAAAAAAAACK!" Also, I am now team Vlad & Stef. I was NOT expecting those wicked Draccents.**

_I am beautiful with you,_

_Even in the darkest part of me._

_I am beautiful with you,_

_Make me feel the way it's supposed to be._

_You're here with me, just show me this and I'll believe,_

_I am beautiful with you..._

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," I say fearfully, eyes wide and bulging. Alec presses his lips together, obviously trying to keep from laughing at me.

"Of course it is," he says calmly. "Do you have all your papers?"

"Yes," I reply, touching my shoulder bag just to be sure. Everything I'll need is in there, safe and sound. "But I still think this is a bad idea. Dreadful. Catastrophic, even."

"_Last call. All passangers for flight 431 to Paris please enter the Boarding Station._"

"Come on," Alec chuckles, hefting his carry-on bag over his shoulder and slipping his arms around my waist. "We'll miss our flight."

I groan deeply as Alec tows me forward, towards the Boarding Station where a perky brunette in high heels that make her easily six feet tall watches us approach with awe in her eyes. Mostly she's staring at Alec, which doesn't sit well with me. With his arm tight around my waist, Alec brings me up to the station.

"May I see your papers?" She asks brightly, eyelashes fluttering shamelessly. Alec squeezes my hand when he feels my fingers twitch in annoyance (I'm imagining slashing her throat open with a fingernail. An idea I had but haven't ever put into practice..._yet_).

"Certainly," he says coolly, handing over his forms. I rummage in my bag for mine, trying to smooth out the sour look on my face. I dump my papers on the desk too and stand back, folding my arms.

She checks everything over, but she's obviously distracted. I can hear her heart thumping erratically in her chest, and I can see the glisten of moistness in her palms and hairline. I smirk. But then the scent of her arousal hits me and a low growl passes my lips.

Luckily it's quiet enough that she doesn't hear it, but Alec does. He gives my hand another squeeze. A warning, this time.

"Cool it," he murmurs. I butt my head into his shoulder, irritated. As if the prospect of _flying_ wasn't sickening enough.

Alec gives a low chuckle and kisses my forehead as the woman hands us back our documents, her face flushed with blood.

"Here you go," she says, flustered. "Go on through."

I haven't had too much practice with humans so this is a bit of a punch in the gut. My throat tightens, closes and heats with thirst. She's wearing a silk chiffon scarf around her throat, but I can still _sense_ the blood rushing beneath the thin membrane of her peachy skin...

Alec tugs on my hand, dragging me away.

"I thought you fed well before we left," he sighs. Before Alec and I said farewell to Volterra for the next fortnight, we'd overindulged in our feasting, drinking as much as we could so that we would be satiated until we found a way to feed discretely in the French city. Unfortunately I've still got a ways to go before the temptation of human blood becomes beign, and the flurry of the airport – so many heartbeats just begging to be silenced – is almost too much.

It's almost a relief to be on the plane, because Alec bought out most of first class so that we could be comfortable on our journey. It's only a couple of short hours. We could have easily made it there by foot, but Alec expects me to have the full vacation experience and I'd hate to disappoint him seeing as he's put so much effort into this whole deal.

"Comfortable?" He smiles. He's got the window seat so I won't be staring out the little glass panel and freaking myself out for the entire journey. Pulling at my seatbelt, I wedge myself under his arm, leaning my head against his shoulder.

"Sure I am."

He chuckles. "You'll love Paris."

"So you keep saying. I'm beginning to think you're just repeating yourself to distract me from the flying portion of the trip."

Alec grins wryly. "You caught me."

I sigh, glancing around the plane. It's much fancier than the last one I was on. There's only three or four other families that – luckily for them – managed to book their flights before Alec opened his wallet. There are a couple of little kids that might stand to interrupt our peaceful flight, but seeing as it's five am and all, they're all sleepy and subdued. For now. I try to savour the peace.

"Hello," an accented voice says. I almost groan as I glance up at the human. A guy, pushing a trolley of snacks and beverages. He's tall and broad-shouldered, lean, with dark skin, brown eyes and thick hair. Quite pretty for a human. I can imagine the soft curve of those full, dark lips driving the fluttery air hostesses quite mad. His eyes slip over my body, examining me admiringly. I'm suddenly very aware just how short my skirt is, and I try to tug the hem as lightly as I can to pull it down some without tearing the delicate fabric. I mentally curse Heidi for picking out this manipulatively sadistic little outfit for me; a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up to my elbows; a waistcoat straight out of a bad mafia movie; a loose black and red velvet tie; a pleated black and red checked skirt; fishnets and my Doc Martens – the perfect innocent schoolgirl facade, guaranteed to snag me a decent meal. Or so I was promised. By the lustful look on the man's face and the noticable reaction in his dress pants, I can tell that Heidi was right. I smirk when Alec's grip on me tightens visibly.

The young man asks in Italian if we'd like anything. Alec's reply is sharp, and from my limited knowledge of the language, I pick up on the word _fuck_. The man pales, even as blood rushes to his cheeks, mumbles something that sounds like an apology, and pushes the cart on with more speed than before.

"We have such a healthy relationship," I snort, shaking my head. "Nice to be reminded that I'm not the only jealous one."

The hard, angry set of Alec's eyes and mouth smooths out into a far more serene expression, and he nudges my temple with his nose.

"I thought you hated when I get posessive?" He asks lightly, sounding a little pleased.

My hand drifts along his chest, toying with the buttons of his black deigner shirt. "Mostly," I say coyly, smiling. "But I like when you're protective." Please, even _I'm_ girly enough to appreciate that little display of Alpha-Male-ism.

Alec smirks broadly. "Good. Now next time I piss you off with it my defense can be 'hey, I'm not being possessive, I'm being _protective_'."

He sounds a little too smug, and I give him a quick punch in the stomach. Giving a soft grunt, he pokes me hard in the waist, where he knows I'm ticklish.

"Don't!" I gasp, jumping and twisting against him.

"Don't injure me, then," he retorts playfully, giving me another, softer poke.

"Why?" I purr, leaning my face against his neck and brushing his flesh with my lips. "Getting soft in your old age?"

Alec snorts, but he sounds a little strained. "Soft is _defenitely_ not a problem I'm concerned with." The suggestiveness in his voice makes me grin, and I drop my hand to his denim-covered thigh.

"Oh...?"

Alec shifts a little in his seat, his eyes on my hand. They snap shut suddenly. He manouvres my head so he can whisper in my ear.

"_Have patience, lover_..." And the very tip of his tongue flashes out to trace the edge of my earlobe, making me whimper.

"You're not playing fair," I gasp out. Alec smirks, replacing his tongue with his lips.

"When have I ever?"

The top row of his teeth touches my earlobe again, as his tongue swirls against the sensitive spot just behind. My eyes slide shut and my breathing becomes deeper. I can taste him on the air.

Because of this I totally miss the pilot announcing takeoff, and when the place begins to move I jolt forward, eyes wide and erratic with shock.

Alec only laughs at me, quickly prying my grip off both his thigh and the armrest on the other side of me uncase I might break either. "You know," he says, pushing my rigid body back against my seat, his voice full of humor. "Planes do move."

I bare my teeth at him. "Thanks for that," I say grimly.

He pulls me back to his body, flashing brilliant teeth. "You're quite welcome."

Flying is easily a hundred times worse as a vampire. I can sense every tiny tremour and hear every little sound, and it takes all my common sense to remind myself that even if the plane _did_ plummet, we'd survive without a scratch. That is, unless the plane burst into flames and we became trapped mid-air by the one thing that could destroy us and I was too distracted by the terror and the scent of human blood to even think of finding a way out-

"Stop," Alec says, sounding amused. "You're freaking yourself out. I can tell."

"How can you tell?" I ask, my voice piercing and high with stress. Alec chuckles.

"I wonder," he grins.

I burrow my face into his chest, throwing my leg over his lap and wrapping my arm across his waist. He winds an arm around me and nuzzles me.

"Maybe one or both of us should pretend to sleep for a while. It _is_ early. For humans, anyway," he suggests, the full pout of his lips brushing the skin of my forehead with every whispered word. My breathing becomes shaky.

"Alright," I mumble, forcing my eyes to shut. But with my eyes closed my other senses are on hyperdrive and the discomfort makes me squirm.

"_Relax_," Alec purrs, rubbing my back. I nudge my nose under the collar of his shirt to obscure the scent of the humans. It helps. So does the feel of his body – his perfect body, all flawless smooth skin and taut muscle – pressed up against mine. And in that moment – immature though it may be – all I can do is picture him naked.

Those long, sculpted fingers pressing against my flesh, gliding over my skin, venturing into all those delicious forbidden areas and coating themselves in my wetness. I can feel cool, sharp venom pool on my tongue at the thought. _Oh_, his _tongue_. Sinful. He sure knows how to use that damn tongue. A few carefully manouvred strokes and flicks can send me tumbling over the edge. There isn't one square inch of my skin that hasn't gladly fallen victim to that tongue. I have to swallow a rather pathetic, needy whimper as my thoughts go haywire from there. His arms...perfectly built and strong, like his thighs. If I remember correctly, which I'm pretty sure I do, there's a telltale bitemark with the exact imprint of my venomous teeth, high up on the inside of his left thigh, left in the early weeks of my newborn life. This bitemark is my own kind of payback for the long-healed scar left on my soft human lip – my own brand, marking him as _my_ territory.

My eyes flicker behind their lids and I press myself even closer to Alec, inhaling his scent in deep, gulping breaths. As I think of his flat stomach, the tempting V beween his hips and that perfectly toned chest, there's a longing ache throbbing in my nether-regions. I press my lips together tightly.

"Nyx?" Alec breathes.

Oh, shit. Snapped out of my little fantasy, I scramble out of the gutter of my mind. "Hmm?" I mumble guiltily.

I can feel him smirking. "Care to explain yourself?"

I scowl against his shoulder. There's no way to redeem myself from this. Fucking vampire senses! He could probably sense my excitement the second my mind descended into gutter-land.

"No, not particularly," I reply, my voice all snotty and superior. Alec gives a laugh. He takes me by surprise when his index finger (I would say another sinful part of him, but everything about this boy is _sinful_ – every single cell of him can put me on edge) drifts along the length of my thigh casually. Alec feels when I tense against him, my eyes bulging.

Fucking _tease_.

"_Sleep_," he whispers. My sensitive vampire ears hear as his long lashes brush his cheekbones, and his own eyes shut. With a quiet growl, I squeeze my eyes closed too.

After half an hour of pretending to nap, another hostess approaches and asks Alec something in Italian, her voice hushed. I guess she's trying not to wake me. However, the rush of hormones I can sense in her body in reaction to _my_ Alec is enough to squander any nice feelings I have towards her. My teeth bare all by themselves and it's lucky I'm facing away from her. I can sense Alec's amusement, which makes them grit. I hate that he enjoys my jealously. But then again, I get a kick out of his just the same.

"Si, avremmo," Alec replies, playing along and keeping his voice low.

She scurries away. I don't move, but I whisper quietly to Alec.

"What did she want?"

Alec smiles, speaking to me through unmoving lips. "I arranged a little snack for us."

My eyes flash open and blink sporadically. "You mean...donations?"

If that's the case then they're gonna end up with quite a few dead hostesses. I know I can't stop drinking once I begin. Alec knows this too. Is he really risking exposing us just to feed me?

"No, no," Alec replies. "I knew I couldn't sneak them onboard, so I had the staff bring two thermoses for us." He smirks wickedly. "They're far too afraid to look inside. Even if they could."

I see what he means when the hostess returns with two tall, silver thermoses alone on a cart. They've both got hinged lids, with small but effective metal padlocks keeping them firmly shut. Alec pretends to shake me awake, and murmurs Italian that I don't understand.

"Come, _amore_, time to wake," he purrs, his lips grazing the corner of my mouth with every seductive syllable.

God damn him.

A smirk stretches my lips as I play my part and mime waking. I stretch languidly, my body pressing against Alec's. My thigh tightens over his and my back arches, pressing my breasts conspicuously into his chest. His eye isn't the only thing that twitches.

"What is it, _lover_?" I smile, the softness of my voice tainted by my blatant smirk. Alec gives a sarcastic grin of his own.

The thermoses and two small keys are placed on pull-down trays in front of us by shaking hands. The hostess that delivers them keeps her flickering brown eyes trained on the royal blue carpet beneath our feet, her heart thrumming quickly. The scent of her fear is pungeant, intoxicating. When my eyes lock on the frantic skipping of her pulse beneath the pale skin of her neck, Alec grips my chin between two fingers and directs my stare to the shine of the silver.

I blink as the hostess mumbles something and skitters away, completely bypassing the other passangers in her haste.

"Some humans are more observant than others..." Alec muses. With a quick flick of his fingers, the lock drops away with a click and he lifts the lid. The scent of blood hits me like a train, and my eyes bug. Venom floods my mouth as my breathing stops.

Alec passes me the thermos almost hesitantly.

"Be careful," he warns. "The hostesses will faint if they come back to find you covered in blood – and I'm not sharing mine."

He unlocks his own drink and tips the silver cup to his lips. His eyes slip shut, and his throat convulses as he swallows appreciatively.

I don't waste any more time observing. Trying seriously hard to be careful and not tip the whole cupful all over myself in my hurry to chug it down, I lift the cup and touch the edge to my lips.

The second the thick red fluid washes over my tongue, I give a small moan. I swallow as quickly as I can to ease the always-present burn in my throat. The blood is cold, but I couldn't care fucking less. In seconds, my cup is empty, and my tongue is sweeping and lapping along the edges, hunting for more.

By the time I've given up trying to fit my face into the cup and have gathered as much on my fingers as possible, Alec is licking his lips clean. He grins at me.

"We'll hunt again when we arrive," he promises. I turn my eyes on him beseechingly, nonchalantly checking out the contents of his cup. Empty. Completely and totally. Fuck damn. The thermoses were able to hold at least a pint of blood. What a _tease_!

"Relax," he chuckles, his gaze finding my fingers, sticky with blood. His eyes dilate as he lifts my hand and begins to lap at my digits, cleaning them. Ruby eyes – a little less subtle behind his blue contacts - pierce mine, holding my gaze heatedly.

Hormones wash through my body, making me shudder against the seat. As soon as he sets my hand free, I crash my lips to his and kiss him hard.

He gasps softly as my tongue assaults his, finding all lingering traces of blood in his mouth. He senses what I'm up to, and begins doing the same. As my nails begin to scratch against his clothed chest, he lifts my hand away and keeps it captured in his (Probably so I won't rip his clothes beyond repair), his thumb resting inside my palm. I squeeze his hand, my head rushing and chest tightening as he breaks the kiss and plants soft butterfly kisses against my temple and cheek. A small, uncharactaristic giggle breaks through my lips just as a scent and a small thrumming sound reaches me.

My head whips sideways to spot a little girl, probably only about three years old, standing next to our seats and staring at us with a smile on her dimpled face. The red colour of the soft curls scattered around her small, cherubic and oh-so breakable face remind me of Sandrine, and a small smile of my own twitches the corner of my mouth. Alec's arms clamp down on me within a milisecond, restraining me tightly. I glance back at his face for a second. His expression is perfectly calm, but his eyes are flashing with worry.

"Ca va," the little girl beams, waving one tiny dimpled hand at us.

I lean into Alec's ear, making sure that my lips graze it as I speak. "Have some faith, my dear," I murmur, nudging against his rigid arms, like steel against me. Alec gives a small shiver.

"Ca va bien," I reply to the small child.

Oops. I seem to have given the all-clear for cuddles as her smile widens tenfold and she bounces up against us, trying to clamber into our laps.

Fresh flames wash my throat as she scrambles over me to sit on Alec, her pink dress contrasting humorously with his dark wardrobe. I touch my neck, my eyes closing as I hold onto Alec's hand for support.

He barely notices. His eyes are wide with alarm as the little girl reaches up to touch his face curiously. His eyes cut to me accusingly. I grin through my own internal pain.

"Awh, look at you," I tease as he sits rigidly, looking hilariously uncomfortable as she pats his hair, still smiling. "You look like a Daddy."

Pure Horror sets up home on Alec's face, and a shudder passes down his spine. He knows I'm kidding (Alec plus children equals a serious what-the-utter-fuckery scenario) but the idea is still enough to make him paler than usual.

"Do not even say that in _vain_," he shivers.

Even so, he does well with the little girl, helping her to balance when she stands, her feet wobbling on his thighs.

"Tu est froid," she remarks, leaning one hot little hand against his cheek. Alec nods, a little less rigid than before.

"Tu est chaud," he replies, and she giggles.

Then her attention switches to me, and Alec keeps a very careful eye on us both as she crawls over onto my lap instead. This is the closest non-hunting proximity I've had with a human since my change, and I think I'm doing pretty freaking well. She rakes small fingers through my long hair, smiling. I become as still as possible when she leans her face into the mass of black to sniff my scent - alluring to any human.

I share a glance with Alec, letting the worry and smugness and utter incredulousness be plain on my face. He gives me a warm, reassuring smile and lets the back of his fingers smooth over my cheek.

"You're doing so well," he whispers, sounding a little surprised.

"I'm not so sure," I mutter, using up the last of my air supply. That's it for my talking as I darent take another breath.

The girl copies Alec, smoothing her hand over my cheek. One tiny finger traces the curve of my bottom lip. Blood, _so close_ to my teeth and tongue and throat, makes venom flood my mouth and my lips twitch a little over my teeth.

"Belle, belle," she smiles, examining my vampire perfection with childish eyes.

"Oui," Alec smiles in agreement.

I wonder at how she sees me, with innocence and obliviousness clouding her sight. She only sees the good in my face: the smoothness of my skin instead of the hardness of my flesh; the awed smile on my lips rather than the fatal teeth behind them; the support of my hands and not their stiff strength.

Such a potentially fatal view, no danger perception whatsoever, and yet so refreshing to think about. There's no caution in her round eyes, no judgement. Just childlike awe and friendliness.

It makes me think, perhaps just hopefully, that I couldn't kill her even if I tried. She is possibly the purest thing I've ever come across in all my existance.

"Vous etes une princesse?" She breathes.

Before I can answer with a sarcasic laugh, or a hell-fucking-no, Alec interjects.

"Oui, elle set _ma_ princesse," he smiles. The child giggles.

Just as I roll my eyes and swallow enough venom to poke my tongue out at Alec, a startled voice, husky with sleep, sounds from across the cabin.

"Georgina?" A man – the girl's father – yawns. His eyes dart over his other children quickly, and his head snaps around. From where we're sitting, he can't see us – or her. "Ou etes vous?"

Alec gives the girl a soft nudge, and with my hands as loose and yet as secure as I can make them, I pick her up and set her on her feet on the plane's carpeted floor.

"Ton pere te cherche," Alec says, just as the man stands stiffly and begins glancing over the seats for his littlest daughter (not the smartest move I've ever seen, seeing as her head barely measures up to the arm rests).

Georgina understands and doesn't cling like I expect her to. Upon the second call of her name, she turns and scrambles through the rows of seats. "Papa!"

Alec sighs, tucking me under his arm once again. "I'm so proud of you," he murmurs, nudging me with his nose. "I never _dreamed_ you could show such restraint."

My next breath gusts shakily through my teeth. "You and me fucking both!" My lips almost tremble as they curve up into a smile. "Guess I'm growing up!"

Alec's teeth bare together in a shallow snicker. "A miracle if there ever was one."

vVv

Alec's expensive, athletic, squillion-dollar watch is a great fat liar. No way was that plane journey only an hour and forty five minutes long! It was two weeks, at least. Three tops. Three frickin' _long-ass _weeks!

Alec smirks down at me as I glower ferociously at the shiny silver watch strapped to his wrist. "Scowling at it won't change the fact that I was right," he says smugly.

When the plane had (fucking _finally_) landed and Alec had to restrain me from diving headlong out the window in an attempt to escape the Big White Box of Horror, he had casually commented on how short the journey was. I had stared at him like he had just announced that he and Caius were eloping in Vegas, and I, the spirited debator that I am, felt the need to contradict him.

"What the holy shit balls are you talking about, man?"

Hence a teensy, good-natured bickering session errupted in the middle of the French airport as we wait for our luggage to swing on by. Thankfully our stuff comes along pretty soon, and the humans don't have much time to stare at us. I can feel their gazes on us even as we exit, keen, interested, and lustful. Always lustful.

As soon as we mosey on out of the airport into the mid-afternoon cloudyness of the famous French city, lugging our...luggage with us (is _that_ where that word comes from?! Huh. Okay. Wow. Only in Paris half a minute and I'm already learning new shit. Cultured or what?!), Alec signals a waiting cab and promptly whips my suitcase out of my hand, darting forward to meet the car as it pulls in to the kerb.

I just manage to snap my slack jaw shut again as Alec opens the back door using just his pinkie finger, piles our stuff into the backseat, rambles something off in French to the driver, and shuts the door again.

"Um," I falter, blinking spastically as the cab driver revs the car, and zooms away with all our stuff. "So, daylight robbery is just too much work for the humans now, is it? You just had to lend a hand?"

Alec glances back at me, grinning. "I ordered his services in advance. He's taking our things directly to our hotel for us. Our room is already booked, everything will be waiting for us when we arrive." He flashes his teeth at me, and even in the subdued lighting, they gleam.

I glance after the cab, still a little doubtful. "Which will be...?"

"Later on," Alec smiles, sounding so smug and self-assured that I feel the strong urge to stamp on his foot. Luckily for him, an enormous crack in the pavement isn't exactly what one would describe as 'inconspicuous,' and God knows Caius would just _loooove_ an excuse to haul our asses right back home.

Seeing the petulant scowl growing on my face, Alec grips my hips in his strong hands and pulls my body to his, so that we're flush against one another.

Alright. Colour me well and truly distracted.

"Why not now?" I ask, more curious than irritated now that Alec's scent is invading my senses, rendering me incapable of coherent thoughts. More so than usual.

Alec chuckles. His left hand leaves my hip and he siezes my chin between his thumb and forefinger. For one split second, he allows the pad of his thumb to glide over my bottom lip, making my eyes slide shut and my knees quake. But before I can react, he tilts my head to the side, directing my eyes to the scene surrounding us.

"We're in _Paris_, Nyxie," he says, sounding just as gleeful as I've been feeling in the last couple of days. While everyone else were being responsible grownups; double-checking our flights and our passports and accomodation and the like, I was bouncing off walls and dithering over every little thing that I wanted to do once I got here. And now that I _am_ here, I feel so freaking overwhelmed that I can barely stand still.

To be honest, it looks like a perfectly regular street. Cars, humans, buildings. But, and maybe it's just me, there seems to be a distinct _French-y_ feel to the place that has me jittery with excitement.

With a sudden burst of typical tourist-eagerness, I crane my neck upwards and peer over rooftops, into the distance. I turn myself around in Alec's arms while he smirks, standing on my the very tips of my tiptoes and trying with all my vampire might to spy what I've been stalking on Google Images for the past week. To no avail whatsoever.

Curses on my shortness!

Alec laughs when my eyes tighten, and a quiet growl sounds in the back of my throat. "I don't think you're going to spot the Eiffel Tower from all the way down here, love," he grins. He nudges his nose against my temple when I pout. "And besides, we've got plenty of time for exploring tourist attractions. Tonight, _mon petite amour_, we have a date."

His smile becomes beaming, and my own grin widens as I turn back to face him, my expression incredulous. The thought of Alec doing something so modern and common and teenager-y as _dating_ is enough to prompt a mini giggle-fit.

It's Alec's turn to pout. "Don't laugh at me!" He complains semi-seriously, moving so he can drape his arm over my shoulders and guide me down the street. I wrap one arm around his waist and press my free hand against my mouth, trying to smother the laughter.

"Sorry," I repent, my voice trembly with supressed snickering. "It's just, I think you've developed a serious case of the Benjamin Buttons - you're getting younger by the day!"

Alec thaws considerably, shaking his head with a minute grin on his face. "I'm not quite sure how to feel about that."

I'm pleased by the wide berth the humans are giving us. Their natural aversion to their only predators helps us avoid the hustle and bustle of the street. It may be out in the open and I may have fed not too long ago - but I'm still a newborn. Every heartbeat within a hundred-foot radius is a seriously hefty test on my willpower.

"So," I continue, deciding to distract myself from the crowd of snack-treats before my throat decides to errupt into flames. "What do you have planned for this _date,_ then?"

Alec grins widely, his eyes crinkling at the corners. My stomach does this stupid little fluttery thing and I have to drop my lashes over my eyes to keep from embarrassing myself.

"Why, dinner and dancing, of course," Alec beams, sounding pleased with himself. I chuckle again.

"Of course," I echo, grinning to myself as I shake my head. I wonder how many 'modern' TV shows he watched before he decided that _that_ was the route for him.

Alec's smile becomes smug again, kind of knowing. My eyes narrow a little. Of course, with Alec Volturi, dinner and dancing is not going to be your regular white-bread session of dinner and dancing.

At least not by human standards.

vVv

Alec and I wander the streets of Paris until nightfall, talking softly and drinking in every delicious detail of the city. The city is even more gorgeous by night, of course. Bathed in deep violet and navy with the interplay of the warm glow of the streetlamps, everything looks incredible. It's a full moon tonight, and thanks to my vampire vision I can see past the wisps of clouds to the diamond sparks of stars bejewelling the sky. The ambiance of the whole place gives me the warm fuzzies, and I burrow into Alec's side happily as we walk, inhaling his scent combined with the hundreds of other scents surrounding me. I'm so absorbed by my peering around like a true obnoxious tourist that I'm surprised when Alec abruptly pulls us inside a small boutique.

I'm stunned out of my dreamy trance so suddenly that I freeze rigidly, my teeth baring together behind my lips as a low hiss tingles on my tongue. Alec acts quickly to calm me, placing a soft kiss on my lips, and stroking my cheekbones with his thumbs.

"Easy, Nyx," he says lightly, a smile twitching the corners of his angel pout. "We're hardly dressed for dancing, now are we?"

I glance down at my little outfit. Hmm. I guess not. Sultry schoolgirl doesn't exactly scream 'class and elegance,' now does it?

Alec looks reasonably okay, though. Black jeans, dark grey shirt, heavy black jacket. He could pass for dancing.

Alec answers my unspoken questions. "Heidi insisted that we let her interfere with at least _one_ aspect of our holiday," he explains.

"Oh, good _God_," I exclaim, thunderstruck. Awh shit. She's gonna have me dressed to the nines in some flouncy, frilly cocktail dress, isn't she?

I expect Alec to reassure me that whatever she's chosen won't be that bad, but he looks a little edgy himself. I don't have time to beg that we flee for our lives, because a small, brunette woman with two oblong white boxes in her arms pops out from a back room, looking quite nervous herself.

"Er...Monsoir Alec and...Miss Phoenix?" She asks hesitantly. She's speaking English, but her voice is heavily accented.

"That's us," Alec nods, sounding very much as if he wishes it wasn't.

Thankfully, it's late, and the little shop is empty except for the three of us. I glance around, doubt whirling in my stomach. This looks to be a very middle-aged sort of place. Heidi's not planning to send me out in ropes of fake pearls and a calf-length beige skirt, is she?

"Zee parcels arrived zis morning. Miss 'eidi made sure that they would be 'ere for your arrival," the woman says. She glances wearily at the boxes as she sets them down on the checkout counter, chewing on her bottom lip. Oh lord. She's obviously had a nosy at the contents of the boxes and is having serious doubts about handing them over. How bad _are_ they?!

Alec and I exchange anxious glances as we take our respective boxes - each with our names scrawled on top in Heidi's fancy looped calligraphy.

"Zee changing rooms are just 'ere, to zee left," the woman gestures, her fingers trembling a little.

Alec and I follow her directions to a small corridor dealy, with six red velvet curtains concealing little cubicles for changing. I can't help but recall the _last_ time I was in a changing room with Alec, and I swear my face heats like a freaking volcano.

I shoot a glance across at Alec, who's eyes seem to be burning holes in the carpet. I wonder if he's remembering too?

"Erm..." I mumble, grappling uncertainly with my big square box. I gesture to a cubicle on my right. "I'll be in here. Y'know. Dying...and such..." I shoot behind the heavy curtain before my own stupidity can give away my train of thought.

"Likewise," Alec mutters from outside. I hear the quick _swish_ of another curtain as he prepares to change, too.

I sigh, eyeing the box in front of me as if it's filled with millions of spiders just waiting to nest in my hair. _Bleugh_. Breathing deeply and prepaing myself for the worst of the worst, I lift the lid of the box.

The clothing within is wrapped lovingly in pale white tissue paper. I unwrap it gingerly, still nervous. I start in surprise as my fingers slide against..._silk_?

My brows pull together curiously, and with as much care as I can manage, I lift up a small length of fabric. It's such a deep violet that in the wrong light it cold be mistaken for black. My fingertips brush against the fabric curiously. Not silk. No, this has the distinct scent of satin. Which is almost as bad.

Deciding to give it a go, I strip quickly down to my underwear, my fishnets and my boots, and my fingers find a subtle zip extending down the back of the dress. Being careful with the delicate fabric - which shows that Heidi either has far too much faith in me, or wants to torture Alec a little - I slip it down over my head.

Huh. No sleeves. Right then. I wriggle out of my bra and drop it unceremoniously onto the pile of my clothes. There's no mirror in this little cubicle, so I glance down at myself uncertainly.

It's clingy. Very clingy. And very _short_. Easily much shorter than the little skirt she had me in, coming to rest a few measly inches below my ass. I wriggle uncomfortably, afraid that tugging on the hem to lower it will result in me having two half-dresses instead of one whole one. At least with the tights, I don't look too indecent.

I peer back into the box. Boots! Heidi added boots to my outfit. I roll my eyes. I have boots. Boots I love, that rarely leave my feet. Doesn't she know that I won't...

Holy Hell.

I grip one pointed toe of the high heeled boot and pull it up, but there seems to be no end to the shiny leather. When I have the whole thing unfurled, it's at least as long as my arm.

Alright. She's baited me. Curiously, I kick off one of my own boots, and slide my leg into this one. It reaches all the way up past my knee, leaving only a few inches space between it and the hem of my dress.

Oh my Lord. What kind of dancing does she think I'll be doing?!

The heels are high. I scrutinise the boot with narrowed eyes, dithering.

With a sigh of defeat, I kick off my second Doc and wriggle my way into the other stripper boot. Because I like how tall it makes me.

_Yeah, lets go with that._

Oh _shutup_!

Heidi's also put a necklace into the box. It's a smooth, deep purple oval stone, set in silver, hanging on a black velvet string. When I fasten it around my neck, it ends just above my cleavage.

_What kind of dancing indeed_?

Deciding that I need to see the entire ensemble, so I can decide whether or not Heidi's getting a nice souvenir, I step out of my cubicle and go to stand in front of a large mirror at the end of the hall.

Huh.

The dress is indeed _short_, but it doesn't look nearly as indecent as I feared, even combined with the boots that any hooker would kill for. It's clingy, outlining my shape very deliberately. Every tiny crease in the fabric attracts the light, and becomes shiny and more purple against the dark satin. It looks...well, pretty damn good.

With a heavy sigh, Alec steps out of his own cubicle, lifting his head and catching my eye in the mirror. His eyes slide over my body, and his breath hitches.

Looks like _torturing Alec_ was her objective after all.

With a small grin, I spin around on my ridiculous heels and hold out my arms. "What do you think?"

His expression is utterly funny as he flashes forward and glues his body against mine. In an instant, my lips are held captive under his as he kisses me hotly.

"I think I love Heidi," he groans, pushing his hips against mine.

I laugh softly, using my strength to push him back a little so I can get a decent look at what _he's _ wearing.

He's sporting another pair of jeans, but these are dark blue, with fashionable tears in the knees. And another shirt - but this one is black, with sleeves that roll and end at his elbows. It's quite a simple outfit - I guess Heidi knew she wouldn't get away with as much with Alec - but everything is just so..._well fitted_. The shirt emphasises the width of his shoulders, the muscles in his arms and chest, and the flatness of his toned stomach. The jeans, though fairly loose, give me a nice view of his ass and highlight the tautness of his thighs.

He has the top two buttons of the shirt undone, exposing a little - _not enough - _of his pale chest. Hanging around his neck is a necklace - just a plain silver chain, but the charm on the end of it catches my attention. It's a tooth - y'know, like how some people who swim with sharks might get one, or buy one at a souvenir kiosk - but this tooth is...strange. It's long, curved, and the sharpness of it gleams in the dim light. The very tip of the tooth has a tiny silver cap to it, which puzzles me. Why would a vampire need to tip the end of something sharp? But the thing that throws me most about this little accessory is the sheer _size_ of it. The tooth itself has to be at least about the length of my thumb.

Alec watches as I take it into my palm, examining it curiously. He smirks.

"This is a canine from the last Child of the Moon that I ever saw...and killed," he says, sounding quite prideful. I drop it at once, my eyes bulging from my head.

"Holy motherfuck," I blurt out, shocked shitless.

Obviously, I'd heard of the Children of the Moon. The real kind, not overgrown puppies like Jacob and his little pack. The Volturi are full of war stories about them. Caius had a bitchfit after one almost tore him a new one and decided to wipe out the entire species. He dispatched the Guard and led hunting expeditions himself, all across the world. He sent word around the vampire world, offering rewards to any immortal who could bring him proof that they'd killed one. Needless to say, the entire species was well and truly wiped. And apparantly, the Guard had extreme fun doing the wiping.

"Of course, that was many hundreds of years ago," Alec says, walking back into the changing room and folding his old clothes into the box. I follow his example, placing my boots lovingly at the bottom of the box, and then chucking the rest of my clothes in on top of them.

Alec re-emerges with his box tucked under his arm, frowning slightly. "But then, a few do crop up every couple hundred years. I mean, it only takes one..." His frown deepens. I grin wickedly, flashing my teeth.

"I sure hope so. I'd really love to get a chance to sink my teeth into one."

Alec's eyes roll to the ceiling, but he doesn't bother trying to rubuke me. "They taste foul beyond foul, I wouldn't waste my time," he says simply.

"Does Caius ever lead hunts for them now?" I ask.

"Occasionally," Alec says nonchalantly. "But they're rarely fruitful. The last few times we've just found humans with the infection and snapped their necks before the Hunting Moon. Felix wanted to wait, of course, but Caius didn't really care about our fun."

I grin. "I bet I'll get _my_ chance to hunt them."

Alec sighs, shaking his head with a small smile as he leads me back into the main shop. "Nyx, knowing your fortune_, they'll _come looking for _you_."

vVv

We leave our boxes of clothes in the store, with a promise that we'll be back for them in the morning. We probably wouldn't bother, except for the fact that my boots are stashed away and unless I want to spend my entire vacation being mistaken for a mini-hooker (because of course I didn't bring any other shoes!), we'd really be better off fetching them.

I'm still puzzling over what exactly Alec has planned as he drags us into a specific district of the city, where the nightlife is alive and buzzing. I can smell the pungeant scents of alcohol, sweat and sex before we've even reached the street.

We roof-hop our way there, being whipped by the lovely cool night air as we spring playfully from building to building. I know we'd be racing if I had any idea where we were going. After a while, Alec grabs my hand to halt me, and leads me to the edge of the bulding.

I hear the deafening beat of music and spot the lights being thrown to the sky before I see the actual club itself. When Alec directs my stare over the edge of the building, I blink at what I see.

It's a fairly big building, with two storeys and an open rooftop. Whenever the entry door swings open, I catch a glimpse of dim lighting, with strobe lights flashing and smoke from a fog machine wafting within. Over the door, the name of the club hangs in huge, neon-blue letters: _Dementia_.

The most surprising thing is the line of humans in the que, waiting to get in, being admitted and dismissed by two Felix-esque bouncers. It seems like a long, dull process, and a lot more are sent walking than they are let in.

"It's the most exclusive club in Paris," Alec says, sounding proud that he's done his homework.

I glance down at the que. It's the length of the entire street and then some. My eyes flash back to my mate doubtfully. "So...we're going to get in line?"

Alec scoffs at me. "Certainly not! Have some faith, dear." He wanders to the left ledge of the building, glancing downwards into an alleyway far too black for any humans to spot us. With a smile, Alec gestures over the ledge. "Ladies first."

It's my turn to scoff at him as I step up onto the ledge. Still a teensy bit daunted by heigths, I suck in a deep breath and drop.

I hate how _long_ falling takes. When I finally reach the bottom, my nose wrinkling at the typical stench of the alleyway combined with the smells of sex and drugs, Alec is only half a second behind me. His arm wraps around me immediately and he leads us out of the alleyway.

Eyes are on us in the instant we exit the comforting veil of blackness. Eyes alight with awe and curiosity and lust and jealously and admiration. Some look confused, clearly wondering why on earth we're emerging from an alleyway. Some more intuative humans avert their gazes, instincutal fear creeping up their spines.

Alec ignores the que altogether, walking us straight towards the doorway at a casual human pace. It's when I glance back at the bouncers, both of which are eyeing us up, that I spot a sign, clear as day, beside the door.

"Alec," I hiss urgently.

"Hmm?"

"I don't have my ID!"

Santiago had done an excellent job of fabricating fake ID's for Alec and myself so that we could book a hotel room, and go and do wherever and whatever we might want to. My fake ID is currently nestled carefully among all my flight details in my carry-on bag, which - if Alec's faith in the human cab driver is justified - is at the hotel where we're meant to be going. _Not_ really much good to me there, now is it? Actually, come to think of it, I don't think Alec has his on him either. So what's he thinking? Is he hoping that his charm and good looks will help get us past the over eighteens sign?

Alec only grins at me. "Faith," he repeats confidently.

When we reach the bouncers, Alec speaks in French with a totally nonchalant tone, casually chatting as if this is all perfectly regular. I try to keep my expression as cool as his as the bouncers eye us both up and down. They glance at eachother, looking sceptical. With a small, sly smile, Alec reaches into the back pocket of his jeans, and produces his Volturi badge.

Of course.

He flashes it at their suddenly blanched faces, and they both nod. One even opens the door for us.

"Santiago called in advance," he says smugly, as we slip through the doors. "He told them to look out for us."

I can't help but laugh. "You really did plan everything."

Alec smiles. "Well, you said it yourself: I have control issues."

vVv

They're standing just off by the dimly lit bar, mere inches between their bodies as their heads linger close together. They've drifted away from the crowds, isolating themselves. Marking themselves as easy prey. He's staring into her face, brown eyes intense, and her cheeks tinge light pink as she drops her eyes to his shirt. Heat radiates between their bodies, though their skin is not touching. I don't know if they're together - frankly, I don't care - but you could cut the sexual tension between them with a knife.

I'm struck with a vague notion, wondering lightly if the passion between Alec and I will still be there in fifty years, a hundred, a thousand. Pressed against my back, the feeling of his body is enough to make a low, needy whine rise in my throat. His hands on my waist feel so lovely, I have to hold my hips still to keep from pressing myself into them. When he leans his cheek against the side of my head, his eyes following my gaze, one of my hands snakes up to twine my fingers roughly in his hair.

With a low, self-assured laugh, I know the answer to my own question.

Alec presses his lips to my hair, watching the couple too. When the man brushes his fingers against the blushing woman's strawberry blonde strands, exposing her lucious bare throat, another form of desire stirrs me.

A hushed growl rises in my throat, and I don't realise that I'm gravitating towards the pair until Alec's arm tightens around my waist and he pulls me back, slamming me into him.

"_Ssshhh,"_ he breathes in my ear. His fingertips dance against my burning throat, dragging from under my jaw, slowly down to my collarbone until I'm sufficiently distracted. "Watch and learn, love," he murmurs, too agitated by his own hunting instincts for his voice to be truly soft. "I'm going to teach you a new way to hunt."

We untwine from eachother, and Alec clasps my hand, fingers locking smoothly with mine. With a gentle, guiding tug, he leads me forward.

Alec moves us right up to the two humans, slipping gracefully between sweat-slick bodies until we reach them. When we appear next to them, they both start in surprise. I can feel myself hesitate, expecting a little confrontation, but as soon as Alec turns the power of his eyes on them, the humans are mesmirised.

Not a word is spoken between the four of us as Alec teaches me. Entranced by his methods, I'm able to concentrate on watching him rather than the insufferable burn.

I'm quite surprised when Alec gently moves my body so that my front is pressed into the human man's side. His eyes - smouldering, seductive, and black as pitch - reassure me that this is all part of the game. So I hold my breath as the young man tears his eyes away from my mate to glance down at me, his heart pounding hotly in his chest.

_Oh_. He smells so fucking _good_...my lips, concealing dangerous teeth, drift against the man's bicep. Automatically, my body curls into his, seeking warmth and lucious flesh. One of my hands holds the man's wrist, and his pulse pounds against my fingers.

Alec throws me a subtle look telling me to keep my cool - what little cool I might possess - as he drags his soft lips from the woman's ear to her shoulder, making her shiver and blush.

My natural newborn instincts telling me to pop her dizzy head right off her fucking shoulders is quenched as the human in my tight grasp reminds me that I have my own role to play.

As Alec breathes sweet nothings in the woman's ear, I drag my fingerstips as lightly as I can manage across the man's hips, his stomach. No matter how much I might be trying, his dressy shirt still tears to ribbons beneath my pearly black fingernails.

He doesn't notice.

His wonderfully warm, pulsing hand sneaks up to touch my waist through the deep violet of my dress. I react to that all-too-human heat as wantonly as the humans are reacting to Alec and I. I press my cool, stony flesh further into his shaky grip, a soft purr of want tingling on my tongue. I want that warmth. I want it to heat me from the inside. I want it flowing down my throat, to soothe the ache...

I don't realise what I'm doing as my teeth tug at the fabric just beneath the man's shoulder, exposing more lush, hot flesh. My lips press against the small incision, finding delicious skin. With a deep inhilation and closed eyes, my tongue flicks out to lick...

My body is jerked away from the flushed human man, crushed against Alec in an instant. I glance back hotly at my prey, craving another taste...

I guess Alec doesn't trust me to keep my teeth to myself now that I've thoroughly scented my meal, so he trades up, pressing me against soft femenine curves, which, in the moment, are almost equally as appealing as the firmer, more masculine planes of flesh.

The woman doesn't seem at all bothered as my needy hands hunt further warmth in the exposed skin of her shoulders, her throat, her chest and upper thighs...

It's only when she buries her warm face into my hair that my eyes flutter open, my nose inhaling a mixture of perfume, sweat, and arousal. My half-lidded eyes find Alec's face, watching me as his finger's lace through the man's, tugging him away. Alec's eyes, burning hotly with lust of many different kinds, beckon me to follow.

The humans are dizzy and easily pliable as we take them away. I expect Alec to lead them out into a back alley, but instead I follow him, the young woman still glued to me, to some back room of the club.

The door is locked, but Alec snaps it open with one skillful twitch of his wrist. The room is big and sparsely furnished; just a widescreen TV, a cabinet of alcohol, some funky, retro-looking seats and a round, low glass table. The lulling beat of music makes the entire room surge ever so slightly.

The lights are low, glowing a strange kind of blue, making Alec and I luminous. Alec gently pushes the man back into one of the seats. The man doesn't move from where Alec puts him - completely submissive, obedient. Turning back towards the woman and I, need smoulders in his features as Alec glides past at vampire speed to manipulate the door's broken lock. Even the harsh sound of protesting metal doesn't disturb the lustful, drowsy spell the humans are under.

I glance over my shoulder at Alec, who turns away from the newly-locked door with a violent smirk twisting his lovely face, confirming the inevitable.

The humans are trapped with us.

I breathe deeply, inhaling their heady scents. This time, I allow a soft moan to push past my lips as the most unbearable fragrance in the world makes my eyes roll back into my head.

Alec pulls the woman - his victim - out of my grip with a soft command: "Feed," he breathes, his sweet breath washing over my bare neck and shoulder, making me groan. "You've earned it, love."

Alec sinks back into a chair opposite the man - _my_ victim - pulling the woman back into his lap. One hand caresses her throat, the other molests one of her spread thighs. Through everything, his eyes linger on me.

I tear my eyes away from them as my prey shifts in his seat, ajusting his raging hard-on in his jeans.

My hooded eyes sharpen, and the next thing he knows I'm straddling his thighs, pushing my body relentlessly against his.

The man does nothing to defend himself as I tear the remnants of his shirt wide open, exposing that divine warmth to my hands. With another low moan which is immediately echoed by my meal, I press my face into his throat, my tongue licking delicately along the pulsing vein beneath.

I try to test myself, holding out as the faint flavour of skin-sheathed blood makes my venom ooze over my tongue. However, when I hear the sound of Alec's hand clapping over the woman's mouth and the lush, chest-wrenching sound of teeth tearing through flesh, I can't wait any longer.

My teeth plunge, and hot salvation spurts over my tongue. With a strangled gasp and soundless cry, the weak body beneath me bucks and shakes and spasms. I can feel Alec's eyes still on me as I give a soft growl, gripping the man's jaw in my hand, effectively breaking the bone. My thighs clench tightly around his hips, grinding bone to dust and turning flesh into a bruised pulp. As blood washes down my throat I whimper, burrowing against the still-hot body, heart hammering relentlessly, still bucking and squirming.

How lovely.

I gasp out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding when the body gradually runs dry. When the last drops spatter over my teeth, I pull back and sit up straight.

My whole body twists around when Alec purrs - a deep, dark sound. He lifts his chin in invitation, tipping the corpse off his lap to the floor.

My body vaults to stand, and sends the chair skidding slightly over the carpet as I throw myself into Alec's welcoming lap. He, too, is hard.

Shivers tingle between my hips and I give an abrupt whine. Alec ajusts my hips to a position that pleases him before he pulls my body down to his, his face now level with mine.

I growl softly, still wrapped up in the haze of my feed. Lust and thirst twist up into one agonising thread, and I push my pelvis down against his as Alec proceeds to clean me, his warm, wet tongue gliding smoothly over my skin.

I haven't learned how to feed neatly yet, and Alec enjoys grooming me far too much to teach me.

He laps against my chin, my cheeks, my jaw, even my chest to rid me of the wonderful crimson stains. Both my hands grip his hair tightly, savouring the feeling of him throbbing needily against me.

When his tongue glides against my dripping lips, I waste no time in crushing my mouth to his, seeking every drop of liquid on his tongue. He moans into my mouth, pushing up against me, pinning my body to his with his strong arms.

And, as usual, I react far too enthusiastically.

I slam my front into his far too roughly, and the entire chair tips backwards, sending us sprawling to the carpeted ground. I groan as Alec rolls us out of the chair, parting my legs with his and holding me to the floor with his body. Pressing the confined length of his erection between my thighs, he grunts harshly as our bodies rub together.

As our lips and tongues mesh together, I grab his hand with mine and guide it to the aching swell of my breasts. With a long, drawn-out groan, Alec palms the mounds of my flesh, his talented fingers searching out my hardened peaks even through my dress. My legs clench around his waist and I arch my torso right off the ground, a hiss breaking through my clenched teeth.

"_Alec_-"

Suddenly, there's an insistant rapping on the door from the outside.

" 'Ello? Monsoir DeLuc? Is that you in there?"

Alec and I freeze immediately. My eyes are wide, and his are narrowed to slits. We fall completely still and silent, waiting as the doorknob is rattled around.

_Dessert..._

But there's a sigh from outside. "I am 'earing things," the staff member mumbles, and he retreats away.

I pout in dissappointment as Alec sighs, chuckling into my throat.

"Damn," I mumble dejectedly. "He smelled nice."

Alec lifts his head and grins down at me. His eyes are blazing scarlet and _burning_.

"I think it's high time we checked into our hotel, don't you?"

vVv

We have to clean up and dispose of the bodies first, of course. I doubt Aro would like to find out that we'd created a big scufuffle of a scene only away from home a day. But we manage this in no time flat, seeing as Alec has been around long enough to know what he's doing.

We neaten ourselves up, too, given that we now have to make an appearance to some non-intoxicated humans. Alec pulls some fresh contacts out of his pockets, which we use to conceal our newly-reddened iris's.

The hotel is about two miles from the nightclub, so we indulge in another rooftop race under the soft silver clouds. Seeing as Alec actually knows where he's going and I have to pause every third of a second to nudge my dress into place, it's obvious who wins.

The hotel is tall and modern-looking, made of metal and old stone and tinted glass.

"So pretty," I murmur, gazing at the reflection of the moon in the glass at the top of the building.

"Yes," Alec agrees, parting my hair to place a soft kiss on the back of my neck.

I let him do all the talking at the check-in desk. Given that the secretary is speaking French and I haven't got the foggiest fuck what she's babbling on about, that's probably wise. While Alec is booking us in for our two-week stay, I stare around the almost-vacant lobby in fascination.

It's light and airy, with white marble walls and crimson carpet. There's a huge faux-crystal chandelier above the staircase, which begins very wide and open and gradually narrows. It, too, is made of white marble with more red carpet. There are a few loveseats and coffee tables arranged around the edges of the lobby, two brassy elevators, and plenty of shrubbery. Jeez, the human guests wouldn't want to have any allergies, would they? Around every door, real icy twines artfully. In the centre of the big white room, there's a small, round fountain, surrounded by artistically carved marble slabs for benches. The entire place is light and airy. It makes such a change from Volterra. I can't seem to help but press my face into Alec's bicep, needing something familliar. After all, the last time I was away from home didn't exactly end with cheers and fuzzy kittens.

Alec touches his lips to my hair as the secretary hands over a pair of matching key-cards. He thanks her in French and leads me away, guiding me towards the elevator.

"Our luggage is in our room," Alec says. Phew! Well, that's one worry out of the way. "Apparantly Santiago booked us the Penthouse Suite."

I perk up excitedly. Holy shit! Vampire celebrities indeed.

"I've never been in a Penthouse Suite before," I exclaim gleefully, towing Alec impatiently into the elevator. He chuckles at me.

"I didn't think you had," he grins.

"Will it be big?"

"It should be - it's one of three top-floor rooms."

I'm so buzzed that the elevator ride seems to last forever. Alec has to dicipline me to walk at human pace down the hallway once we do escape, his eyes flickering warningly to a couple of security cameras.

Our suite is 12C - the room number etched into a gold-plated heart fixed to the door. My brows furrow a little. Hearts? Wow, the French are a fluffy bunch, aren't they?

Then Alec opens the door, the lights come on automatically, and we are met by Horrific Realisation.

Champagne flutes and bottles on ice?

A trail of rose petals strewn across the floor?

Lights on a low setting?

A huge four-poster bed with soft white sheets and a draped canopy?

Oh my shits.

"This is the _Honeymoon Suite_," I hiss through my teeth, appalled beyond the fucking _telling_ of it.

Oh, Santiago is a dead man. _Dead beyond dead_. So dead that I'm gonna have his ashes made into a momument of him and then burn that too!

My head whips around to Alec, who's eyes are wide and jaw is slack with shock.

"I'll kill Heidi for this," he chokes through his teeth.

"Heidi?"

"She was the one who found the hotel for us - she was the one who wouldn't let me see what she was getting for us!" He groans, raking two hands through his hair.

I breathe deeply, walking further into the room to observe the horrors. I am not a romantic person. Alec is a _very_ not romantic person. This is a sick joke on Heidi's part.

I try to ignore the vases stuffed with roses and lilies, the white and pink ribbons above the ensuite door, the entire fuzzy, sickly atmosphere to the room.

"It's not _so_ bad," I try, glad that I'm facing away from Alec so I can mask my wince.

Alec walks forward and steps around me, his nose scrunched up in distaste as he flicks rose petals with his toes. "I suppose not."

I step into his arms, biting my lip as it curves upwards. I shake my head. "We'll get them for this."

"Damn right we will," he growls.

"I'm thinking some serious bedroom-vandalism."

"Really? I was thinking fire."

I press my face into his shouder, grinning. "Of course you were."

Alec sighs, rubbing my back. "I guess it's not _all_ terrible," he attempts, trying to untwist the grimace on his face.

"Sure it isn't," I agree, eyes riving frantically around the room for some redeeming features. They find a balcony, overlooking the city. "Nice view."

Alec nods. He inhales deeply, nodding to the flowers. "Good smell. Distracts from the humans."

I listen carefully for any movement in the two other rooms on this floor. Nothing. No so much as a breath.

"Plenty of privacy..." I murmur, pressing my lips against the corner of Alec's jaw. His own lips stratch into a boyish grin.

"True..." he purrs, turning his head to flick the tip of his tongue against my earlobe. My insides fizzle.

"Damn it," he sighs suddenly.

"What?"

"I forgot their stupid policies," he gripes. "We'll get a seven AM wakeup call if we don't cancel it." I pout as he detaches himself from me. "I'll do that now."

Alec zips out of the room, clearly eager to get his task over and done with. I take the oppertunity to examine the four-poster bed, a lot like the ones we have at home, only far more spindly. Lighter wood, and draped with white. I bite my lip. This looks easily breakable. We'll have to be careful, because how on earth would we explain to the hotel that we turned their expensive bed to splinters? A smirk quirks my lips. Oh yes, _this_ I can use to my advantage.

Pulling my suitcase - safe and sound after all - up onto the sofa, I unzip it quickly, looking for my little bag of _personal_ items that I brought along without Alec's knowledge.

Aha! Here it is. Huh. Is it bulkier than before? I only had a few pieces of lingere in here. I poke and prod at the violet coloured bag, brow furrowed. Yes, defenitely bulkier.

Frowning, I open the bag only to be met with a piece of paper, folded in half with _Nyx_ scrawled across the front in Corin's handwriting. Oh _dear God_.

_Nyx,_

_I know you'll thank us for this, so don't pull that face! We just decided to alter your holiday wardrobe just a teensy bit. Yes – we. Trust me, you'll be glad later. Plus, thanks to our snooping we have come across the _other_ things you packed, and I have to say, __**I APPROVE! **__ Have fun, girl._

_Love from Corin the Mastermind, Heidi the Fashion Guru, and Renata the Reluctant._

_PS. Renata says she had nothing to do with this, but she did. Don't be fooled. She did._

_PPS. Little fun fact: the colour blue provokes a more intense orgasm. Yes really. You're hearing this from the Master, here. So if I were you, I'd have some faith and pick the blue one. _

I cannot seem to close my mouth. My jaw hangs open in complete and utter shock at what I'm reading. First off, I _knew_ it was too suspicious when _Corin_ handed me my suitcase and wished me a good trip! But seeing as we were already late for our flight and had to abandon Alec's car and run like mad people to the airport, I didn't really dwell on it. Second off, heat flushes through me, quickly accompanied by intense embarrassment. I mean, I'm hardly a prude, but the idea of Corin, Heidi _and_ Renata coming across the little goodies I have packed away is just a little too much. Hell, a _lot_ too much. I can only imagine her reaction when she found my new best friends tucked away amongst my underwear.

Gulping, I scrunch the note up and stuff it to the bottom of my suitcase, vowing to destroy it later. I don't exactly know how Alec would react to _that_. Horror widens my eyes as I explore the revamped contents of my bag. A pretty electric blue catches my eye, and I pull the matching items free.

And then I choke. On nothing but _air_.

The bra...is not a bra. It is a nothing. The sides are blue lace, and again, the clasp is at the front; a small silver heart. But there are no cups whatsoever. Nothing but underwire to speak of. But the panties...are something else. Blue lace again, but at the sides there are soft, very pale blue strands of fabric that are meant to trail down the outer thighs. It's a strange kind of netting, and it feels like silk under my fingers. Oh, but that isn't the best part. The best, most delightful, most therapy-inducing part of all this is that the panties are totally, one-hundred-percent crotchless.

Good _God_.

I bite my lip, hesitating. Alec will be back any minute. I don't have time to freak out over the sluttiest lingere in the whole entire world – and any other world there might be - I've only got time to put them on.

Sighing, I begin to strip off. My slinky dress gets dropped to the floor, and I nudge it away carelessly. I step out of my hooker boots and wriggle my way out of my fishnets. Last come my panties, painfully plain next to Corin's presents.

The cool night air from the wide open balcony doors touches my bare skin, and a deep shiver passes over my body. It feels exhilerating to be naked this way. The only light is the dim glow of the unsheathed moon streaming in through the doors, and it makes my skin glimmer pearly white.

I slide into the blue lingere and slip my favourite black velvet robe on, tying it tightly to hide my valubles. Snatching up my new best friends, I run quickly and stuff them into the bedside locker, shutting the drawer firmly. Alec isn't seeing _these_ little darlings 'till the last possible second. I don't want the tables being turned on me.

I've got _plans_.

Just as I seat myself on the edge of the bed, swinging my bare legs, Alec returns. I hear him shut and lock the door with a soft gust of a breath, and he makes his way into the main part of the room. As soon as his dark head lifts and his eyes set on me, he freezes.

His eyes begin to smoulder, instantly brimming with lust. His lips are ever so slightly parted, somehow looking more full and lucious than ever. The very tip of his pink, wet tongue slides along his lower lip, moistening it. I feel familliar stirrings down below that make my midsection clench with arousal. I have to fight a giveaway quiver, clenching the sheets in my fists. I barely hold myself still. Tipping my head to the side, I smile.

"Hello," I murmur.

I don't know why I feel so nervous. It isn't like we've never had sex before. Hell, sex became a pretty solid, main part of my life at one point. And yet, even though I pretty much know what to expect, butterflies flutter and swim relentlessly through my belly.

Alec doesn't stay still for long. He glides forward, dropping clothes as he goes. His jacket slides from his shoulders and hits the ground softly, and he steps out of his shoes without effort. When he reaches the bed, the buttons on his shirt are already undone, exposing his perfect torso to my greedy gaze.

He slides one hand around the back of my neck as he stands over me, and uses the other hand to cup my jaw. He looks down into my face, his eyes filled with love and _hunger_. Gnawing, pulsing hunger that I know only too well.

Leaning down, he captures my lips in a kiss. It's just lips, no tongues or teeth, but there's so much fire behind the kiss that I whimper against his mouth, and he groans softly. He's already hard. The button and zipper on his jeans are straining to contain him.

With my hands on his hips, I pull Alec down beside me. He sinks onto the bed, pulling me flush against him. When I feel his hands seeking the tie on my robe, I twine my fingers with his quickly and hold them fast.

He breaks the kiss, looking at me in puzzlement, and I smile. "Not yet."

Alec's brow quirks, and he gives a smile of his own. "No?"

His face is pressed against mine, and he teases me, pressing his lips against the bare corner of my mouth, his nose drifting along the skin of my cheek.

Before I can get lost in his teasing and forget myself completely, I manage to breathe out. "Lie down."

Alec obeys, his eyes never leaving mine as he crawls back into the centre of the bed, laying his head down against the pillow. Feeling a twinge of heat seeing him laid back like that, I sweep my tongue over my lips and hop up, straddling his thighs.

Alec's eyes flare and he squirms beneath me. The heat between us is indescribable – it feels like it's pressing in on me, and it feels so fucking good.

"You going to ride me, Nyx?" Alec breathes.

I want to. A groan tingles in my chest. I want to strip him down and ride him until neither of us can do anyting but _scream_...but I won't. Not yet. I've got those plans to fulfill. I want to torture him first.

I don't answer, only place my index finger against his lips and smile slyly.

Alec sits up and crushes his lips against mine, his tongue finding mine immediately. I slip my hands along the smooth skin of his shoulders, shivering, and push his open shirt off. He helps, pulling his arms free and tossing it away. I move my hands down over his chest and push him back onto the bed, breaking the hot, frantic movement of our lips.

I slide futher down his legs and, with a mischevious smirk, unbuckle his belt. Alec's breathing shudders and stops altogether, his eyes almost glowing. I take my time with his pants, sliding the zip down and popping the button one-handedly, my other hand drifting along his bare stomach. No lower. Not yet.

"Nyx," Alec murmurs, his voice low and husky, dripping with arousal. "This is cruel, you know."

I wide smirk spreads across my face, and I sit back, my hands leaving his body as I fold my arms. He looks dismayed.

"Cruel?" I repeat, my voice light. I give a soft little laugh, and even to me it sounds a little too evil. "Cruel, my dear, is a light term for what I have planned for you."

Alec's expression blazes. Whether it's with worry or arousal, I'm not too sure. "Wha-"

"Patience, lover," I purr, parotting his words from earlier, on the plane. He grimaces at me in distress.

He lets me manouver his hips so I can slide his jeans down, and as soon as I do, I'm met with the shock of my life.

_He's not wearing underwear_.

I inhale sharply, my eyes becoming round with shock. It's Alec's turn to look smug and superior, even as he's lying back submissively and letting me take the wheel for once. He watches my face with amusement, eyes dancing.

His erection is standing to attention, every delicious inch of it, begging. I feel Alec's eyes boring into my face, gauging my reaction. Ignoring every screaming animal urge in my lower regions, I continue lowering Alec's jeans. With a few clever wriggles, we have them off, and he's naked.

A shudder of pleasure ripples through my body as my eyes roam over his nude form ravenously. Alec watches me watch him, lust growing. I slide back up to rest on his thighs again, my eyes set hungrily on the length of him.

This time, when he reaches to remove my robe, I don't protest.

As soon as the velvet falls away, making me shiver with delight as the flawlessly smooth fabric brushes sensually against my skin, Alec's eyes bulge. His breathing shakes, and he groans loudly. The sound provokes a similar sound from my own lips.

"Fuck, Nyx," Alec gasps. His eyes, gleaming ruby and onyx, glue to my just-naked form. I watch his face as he drinks in every detail, secretly loving the awed look on his face, as if this is his first time seeing me this way. "You- oh fuck."

I lean down over his body to kiss him. His hand moves over the small of my back, and the other between my shoulderblades, to hold me against him. My naked breasts press down against his chest. I realise that if I were just to move forward a little, push, I'd have him inside me. At this, I moan into his mouth. God damn it, this torture was meant for _him_, not for _me_!

I break the kiss with a coy flick of my tongue against his bottom lip, and sit up. His hand slips down from between my shoulderblades, gliding over my ribs and dancing across my stomach. I feel a flicker between my hips, and have to resist the urge to press forward against him.

"Do you love me?" I ask, gazing down at his face. His eyes burn into mine with intensity that could melt me.

"More than anything," he replies wholeheartedly.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then close your eyes."

His brow tightens a little in suspicion, but he complies, shutting his eyes obediently.

"Don't open them until I say so," I say, reaching to open the locker drawer. When Alec hears the sound of wood scraping and the light clink of metal, he frowns.

"What...?"

I'm quick. Too quick for him. In half a second I've snapped one cuff around his wrist, thrown the other around two slim poles of the headboard and secured his other wrist. Alec's eyes bulge open in shock.

"Damn it, _what the hell are you doing_?"

I smile brightly at my handywork. "What does it look like?" I ask sweetly. Alec's scowl quickly smooths out into a smirk.

"These won't hold me, Nyxie," he purrs, glancing over his head at the handcuffs restraining him.

"Maybe not," I reply happily, smoothing my hands over his shoulders. "But I'd really like to see you explain to the hotel how we smashed their bed...and I'd _really_ like to see you explain to Caius why we had to pay for a new one."

Alec scowls at me. He knows I've got him trapped – metaphorically _and_ literally. If I was still human, this smile would be making my face ache. "You're evil."

"I know. I learned from the best. Now shut up and take it like a man."

I lean down again, pressing my body against his. His stiff cock rubs against my belly when I move, making him moan.

I let my nails drag down his biceps and attach my mouth to his neck, letting my lips tease him by peppering very soft kisses along the spot where his most vital artery should be pumping blood. My lips only barely graze his skin, and soon he's growling.

"_Nyx_."

I smile against his throat. "Yes?"

"You're such a teas-se," Alec complains, faltering and gasping out when my teeth and tongue begin toying with his flesh. Nipping and dragging out of his skin, I move down, the tip of my tongue tracing his collarbone before it sweeps across his shoulder.

He breathes out heavily, and his back dips into the velvety sheets of the bed as he tries to rub up against me. I lift my body out of reach, smirking. Alec groans.

"So impatient," I murmur. I remove my hands from him to push his moving hips down into the mattress. And, restrained, there's nothing he can do about my slowly easing newborn strength. He groans again, looking distraught.

I keep my hands firmly on his hips, but I lean further down his body, deciding to put into action a little trick that _he_ taught me.

He gasps out loud when I graze my teeth across his left nipple. His back arches right off the bed. Trapping the nipple between my teeth, not allowing my tongue or lips to touch it, I tug. He growls. Laughing softly, I swirl my tongue against it. Alec breathes out harshly, and I can tell by the desperate movement of his arms that he's either dying to grab me by the hips and slam into me with all his strength – or grab _himself_ for some form of relief.

I chuckle against his heaving chest. Thanks to my sly little plot, he can't do either. Which is exactly what I wanted.

Every wistful glance, longing touch, hungry kiss over the past couple of weeks in the leadup to our trip has almost driven me mad. My willpower to resist him was walking the razors edge in the days before we left. I was so close to completely breaking my own vow and just taking him like we were both _so_ longing for.

But I didn't. Because that was exactly what _he_ wanted, and he just wasn't playing fair. Those 'accidental' brushes of his fingers against my breasts and inner thighs? Nah. That innocent face wasn't fooling me.

So I decided to make him pay for every torturous second of it. And _fuck damn_ if I'm not loving it.

I can feel _him_, twitching and pulsing against my skin. Alec continues to push and grind his hips up against me, but the way I bow my back leaves him completely unsatisfied. He squirms and groans in utter desperation as I pepper kisses along a path to his other nipple. I give it the same treatment, ravaging it with my mouth while Alec writhes. My hands sure aren't idle, either. They roam his torso hungrily, touching every inch of his skin from his throat to the apex of his thighs – every place but _there._

Alec suddenly bucks so fiercely that I'm almost thrown off him. I clench my thighs around his to keep myself steady, and I smell the sweet scent of his venom as my nails dig deeply into his hips, breathing the skin. His shocked growl echoes mine. When his dark eyes snap open, they pierce mine with intensity that burns hotly through my entire body, from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes.

With a light shiver, I move down his body in a flash. When my face is level with his hips, I allow the tip of my tongue to lap delicately at each small crescent shape, leaking tiny beads of venom. My nails scratch lightly at his thighs as I seal the tiny wounds.

When I move across to his other hip, he sighs, a sound from deep in his chest.

"There's no one like you in the world, you know that?" He breathes.

With a smirk, I finish my task and press a kiss to his hip. In one swift movement, I stretch my body over his until our faces are level.

"Of course there isn't," I say innocently. My lips brush against his as I speak, and he smirks. "The world couldn't handle two of me."

He chuckles darkly as my hands smooth over his biceps. "You're awfully vain, do you know that, too?" He says lightly, one dark brow perking teasingly.

I kiss him roughly, my lips crushing against his. But before he can deepen it, I pull away and begin a trail of his kisses from his collarbone, down his sternum and his stomach, to where I was before.

I take a deep, very uncertain breath. I've been thinking a lot lately about this moment, the moment when we would break our celibacy pact and kick-start our new lives together. But...what I've been thinking about in particular, is one thing that I never ever thought I would consider.

Uncertainty is the one thing that has revolved around our relationship from day one. I want to abolish it forever. I want to show Alec that I love and trust him as much as anyone possibly can love and trust another person. And I know one surefire way to do that. Now, if only the mere thought of it wasn't so freaking scary.

It's a topic that's never been breached by either Alec or myself. This has been an internal battle that I've faced completely alone – the thought of sharing my qualms with anyone else squicked me out almost as badly as the actual subject at hand. I did _consider_ asking the others – seeing as every other member of my family is lightyears more experienced on the subject than myself – but Renata would be too embarrassed, Heidi and Corin far too balls-out about it, and the thought of tackling Chelsea or Jane about the topic made my face scrunch up before I'd even pictured their reactions (Chelsea would be shocked beyond words, and Jane would be so horrified and disgusted that she'd burn my ass to cinders – not that we're on conversational terms by any means). I even considered asking Demetri at one point, but my mind was laughing hysterically at me before the thought had even fully formed. Nope, this was one thing that I had to tackle by myself.

Aro did _try_ to offer his insight when he grabbed my hand out of the blue one day, but Aro attempting to give me advice on my sex life was probably THEE most horrific thing in the universe. I ran to Caius and hid behind him until he promptly hunted me away. Even then, for days I was far too humiliated to look Aro in the face. And it takes a good dose of shit to humiliate _me_.

But now the time has come and I've made up my mind. I want to do this for Alec. I want to give this to him, to prove that everything that passed between us when I was human is well and truly over and done with. In the past. Forgotten.

And so I brace myself as best as I can without drawing Alec's attention to my hesitation. I close my eyes and fist my hands in the sheets, holding my breath and trying to hide my trembling fingers. Venom stings my eyes as I lean forward and give the head of his shaft one tentative lick.

Alec's whole body reacts. He sucks in a deep breath and gasps out, his back arching right off the bed. The cuffs clink and I hear the subtle splintering of wood as Alec's mucsles tighten. His thighs tense and his groin throbs fiercely.

"_Oh_," he gasps, breathing hard. He's trying to be subtle about the trembling of his body as he shakes his head. I'm glad that I can't see his face from my position, even when his head snaps up to peer down at me. Anxiousness is blatantly obvious in his tone when he speaks.

"But...but Nyx-" He begins, clearly trying to seperate his lust from his common sense. It sounds like a losing battle.

"Shush," I hiss out. I don't mean to sound so harsh, but I don't want to hear his protests. I don't need any encouragement to chicken out. I _want_ to do this.

"But-"

"Shh!" I spit. I try as hard as I can to keep the stress out of my voice. I doubt I succeed.

Alec falls silent, but he's not breathing and every muscle in his body is solid and tense.

I try again, letting the tip of my tongue travel from his glans to his tip, where precum is oozing faster than before. I set myself a task. My tongue alternates between quick laps and languid strokes as I lick him clean. The fluid is viscous and salty on my tongue – but not unpleasent.

A whimper – such a desperate, uncharactaristic sound – bursts through Alec's lips. It startles me, and I have to hold my body statue still to keep from flinching. I can tell he's trying, trying hard and failing, to keep his reactions in.

I don't want him to. I don't want him to worry about me. That's the polar opposite of my intentions. I want him to enjoy this. I hold onto this motivation as I lick my lips, coating them in venom. Feeling brave, I slide my wet lips down around him, taking his head into my mouth.

Unable to contain himself, Alec moans loudly. "_Ohh_. Oh, oh Phoenix. Ungh. D-don't..."

His voice trembles and cuts off at the end, and I ignore him completely. He feels bigger in my mouth than I expected him to. My body quakes with nerves when I realise that there's a lot more of him to come.

I push my stupid nerves aside determinedly. I try to lick at him mindlessly, but my vampire brain has other ideas. I take in every single detail without meaning to. Every one of my senses is on hyperdrive.

The taste and feel of him are the most prominant things. His flavour is something I've never experienced. Not truly. I've tasted his skin before, but this is different. Similar, but defenitely not identical. Clear..._sweet_. Strange. But far from unpleasent. I'm surprised when the taste of him sends shivers tingling between my hips. More precum drips into my mouth, providing an odd alternative to the sweetness of his skin.

He feels solid beyond solid. As close to hot as a vampire could possibly be. Vampire temperature seems neutral to one another. Not hot, not cold, but comfortable. But now, hard and throbbing against my tongue, he seems...warm. He feels as flawlessly smooth as glass, but the skin is silky.

The scent of his very prominant arousal twined with the natural aroma of his body is like a shot of adrenaline for my hormones. I can feel my most private places throbbing, needy.

I focus on the sounds he's making. Harsh breathing, coupled with agonised moans whenever I move my mouth around him. He's still trying so hard to hold himself back.

I want to give him more.

However, I feel a tug of fear in my chest when I think of progressing further. As much as I want to do this, I don't want to scare myself shitless in the process. So I settle for going slow, and begin to hesitantly suck on the head of his cock.

"Y-_Yes_," Alec groans, his hips shaking with need. I can tell that he's desperately disciplining himself to hold still, not to frighten me. "Nyx, that's so good," he gasps. "_Nngh_. I need..._harder_." His hips twitch pleadingly despite him trying to keep still. I can't help but enjoy the fact that he's begging. Alec Volturi is _not_ a begger.

Maybe it's the handcuffs talking.

I oblige him, teasing his slit with the bare tip of my tongue as I suck harder. Alec moans and twists, every breath punctuated by a deep groan. I decide that I'm ready for more, and act quickly before my brain can fuck around with my courage.

I lower my mouth down around him, slow and cautious, while he chokes out my name and moans pleas to a variety of Deitys. He fills my mouth completely, and I've only managed to take in a couple more inches. Worry begins to gnaw away at my chest.

I try to keep a firm grasp on my determination, and I take him in a few more measley centimetres. His tip touches the back of my throat, and I hesitate, waiting for the initial heave of my stomach as my gag reflex kicks in.

But it doesn't.

..._Huh_.

Out of all the bonus perks that come with being a vampire, I really didn't expect _that_ to be one of them.

Feeling more comfortable and a lot braver, I find it simple to open my throat and ease him down until my nose is buried in the rough nest of hair at the base of his erection.

"_Si senta cosi bene_, Alec murmurs.

Feeling my gut-clenching nerves falter for the first time, I pull back, allowing his length to slip back until there's just his tip at my lips. Familliar now, I slide my lips over all of him, making him moan again.

I find a technique as I find my confidence, and my speed increases. I alternate between moving him in and out, licking at him in long, languid strokes, and sucking. All seem to please him, and he forgets himself, his hips moving fluidly in time with my mouth.

"_Ahh_! Phoenix! Oh God oh God oh God, that's so fucking good, so fucking _good_."

I can't reply to him, obviously, but he does enough talking for both of us.

"Just like that, like that," he pants. "_Ohhh yes_. Yes, Nyx. _Oh_. Oh, I like that."

And in between everything, I realise something.

This really isn't bad at all.

I expected to be terror-stricken and ill throughout the entire thing, but it's not like that at all. My nerves are gone, and I'm finding it hard to believe that they existed at all. They feel faint, like a vague dream. Because...I like it. The feel of him in my mouth – his hardness and girth. The way he's crying out and clearly euphoric. In fact, I _more_ than like it.

I can feel myself becoming slicker and wetter with every passing moment. My body squirms and writhes with arousal. Because to put it blatantly: Sucking Alec off is making me pretty fucking horny.

The whole process doesn't take very long at all. After about forty minutes, Alec's thighs tense and his balls tighten. He's close.

So I stop.

Letting him slip completely from between my lips, I sit up, smiling. Alec's head snaps up in Complete Horror.

"Phoenix..." He chokes shakily, his eyes flat black and nervous as fuck. He doesn't know what my game it. My smile becomes toothier.

I wrap my hand around his girth. I don't waste time teasing him. His head falls back as I pump him up and down, my strength and speed a serious ally. In no time flat, his back arches, his hips jerk, his eyes squeeze shut and his teeth clench tightly.

Alec yells out as he comes, squirting his seed out over my hand, and over himself. My own eyes slip shut, and I shiver at the sensation of his engorged cock pulsing in time with his release.

Then he's finished, and his body slumps weakly into the mattress, breathing heavily. When his eyes open, sated and half-lidded, they're as black as night.

I manage to drag my eyes away from his to roam over the pearly fluid spattered across his stomach, thighs and crotch, and my own hand. My head tips to the side. I release my grasp on his dick and lift my hand to my mouth, cleaning myself off. Alec's breath hitches, and he goes from half-flacid to fully erect in record time. A smirk twitches my lips – another vampire perk.

When my hand is clean but for my own venom, I get to work on him. I lap delicately at his stomach, then move down to his strong thighs and clean them, too.

I save the best for last, delivering soft flicks of my tongue to his balls and cock while he sighs contently. When I'm finally finished, I sit back again, purring.

"Nyx," Alec murmurs. My eyes flash up to his face. His expression is relaxed, inviting. "Come here."

I lie my body over his so that our faces are level. He begins to purr, too, and the soft vibrations of his body make me bite my lip. He nuzzles me lovingly, kissing my jaw and neck before he finds my lips.

"I love you," he moans in between kisses. "That was incredible."

I give one triumphant chuckle before smothering his lips with mine. After a few moments, he pulls away slightly.

"Er...not to ruin your fun or anything, but I'd really appreciate if you could let me out of these," he says imploringly, clinking the cuffs. I laugh breathlessly, reaching back into the drawer for a tiny set of keys.

I lean over him to unlock the cuffs, teasing him still. I keep my breasts – pulsing and aching for his touch though they may be – out of his reach. I hear him give a soft whine as I free his left hand, then his right. The cuffs fall down behind the back of the bed, forgotten. Alec's hands immediately find my waist, stroking the skin softly. He traces my curves, and I breathe out a soft sigh. This is the first intimate touch I've allowed from him this evening, and it feels so fucking-

Alec flips us over so suddenly that I give a small squeak of shock. He pins my body to the mattress with his larger one, and no amount of writhing deters him. When I glare up into his face, his eyes are shining, sparking with mischief and lust.

He wastes no time in devouring my throat, snarling and pushing me back down whenever I try to move him. I give up and decide to lie back submissively. I'm so wet – wet and throbbing. I want him so badly, I don't care about his domineering ways. Fuck it, I had him in _handcuffs_. If this is him trying to gain back some man points, then so fucking be it. I just want him to-

"_Ohhh! Alec_," I moan uncontrollably, as his hands cup my breasts and squeeze. His thumbs roll my stiff nipples, and he pinches and squeezes mercilessly.

"You like that, love?" He growls, clearly enjoying being back in control. When I don't reply immediately, he growls again, and clamps my nipples between his fingers. It doesn't hurt – he'd never hurt me – but the pressure is fucking insane. I cry out a yes, high and reedy and clearly desperate.

"O-Oh God, please Alec," I yowl, writhing underneath him. His stiff cock is touching the inside of my thigh, just inches away from sheer bliss. I moan at the thought, my eyes glistening with venom.

Suddenly Alec swings us both upwards. He sits back on his heels and settles me on his thighs, my legs spread and ready...but he makes no move to bring me down onto him. Instead, he leans back a little. His right arm is wrapped around my waist, supporting me. His left hand, however, is idly smoothing up and down my bare thigh.

"What do you need, Nyxie?" He purrs, smirking lazily. My teeth bare together. I realise something crucial – in taking care of him first, I've given him a big advantage: he's now free to torture me however he likes, without having to spare his own needs even a fraction of his concentration.

God damn my genius! It fucked me over. _Again_.

"Hmm?" He murmurs, his eyes roving over my bare chest as his hand slides around to cup my ass. I whimper as my nipples tighten further under his gaze, almost painful in their tautness.

"I need you," I whisper, fucking my pride over and giving him what he wants to hear, so he'll finally _touch me_.

But my answer doesn't satisfy him. "What do you need from me?" He persists.

"You have control issues, you know that?" I hiss, my temper and impatience breaking through the hazy cloud of desperation.

Alec chuckles calmly, his eyes flashing with delight. "Says the girl who handcuffed me to a bed and threatened to tattle on me if I broke free."

I scowl ferociously. However, his lips crashing down on mine melts the expression right off my face. I moan against his mouth. But he pulls back far too soon.

"I'll ask you again," he purrs, eyes dancing. "What do you need?"

Swallowing my pride in favour of some relief, I gasp out. "I need you to fuck me."

"Do you?" He murmurs, his tongue licking at my shoulder.

"Mmm. Yes."

"How badly?"

"So _fucking_ badly."

Alec pulls back and nods, his eyes not leaving my face. His hand moves around from my ass to my inner thighs. Before I can beg or protest or scream or react at all, his hand cups my crotch.

"Oh," I cry, trembling. He rubs his hand back and forth a few times.

"Look how wet you are," he breathes.

It's true. By now, I'm so wet that I can even feel it on my thighs. I wonder briefly if I should feel embarrassed, but right now all I care about is the fact that I'm so close to the pleasure I've been denied for months. At least during our celibate period, Alec knew how to take care of himself.

He rubs the pad of his index finger around my entrance, but doesn't penetrate the border. My hips buck of their own accord, and Alec coos over me, his teeth grazing my jaw. "More, Nyx?"

"Yes!" I gasp out.

Alec smirks. "If the lady does insist."

With one last minstration of my entrance, he drags his finger up my saturated slit and back down again. Up, and down. Up, and down. Up, and freaking down until my head is rolling and I'm close to biting him.

He must recognise the gleam of venom on my teeth, because his thumb gets down to work too and begins to massasge my swollen clitoris.

"Oh God Alec!" I cry, my head falling back as he massages quick circles into my most pleasurable spot.

His hand against my back becomes the only thing preventing me from falling back onto the bed. He holds me upright, his hand rubbing my back soothingly as his thumb continues that same delicious pattern.

Pleasure burns through my lower region, making me moan and whimper. It feels _so fucking incredible_ after all these months of toeing the line that I understand why Alec's reactions were so extreme. My body shakes from head to toe as I moan out his name.

"Oh," Alec groans suddenly, dragging my attention back from the abyss of my pleasure. "Say my name again."

I comply, unwilling to disobey him and have him stop. He can never stop. Never.

"_Alec_," I mewl, feeling helpless and pathetic but not giving the slightest fuck as his thumb speeds up. "Oh God Alec, _more_. I need more."

"More, baby? More like this?" Alec murmurs. His thumb doesn't break stride, but his index finger begins rubbing up and down my slit all over again. Suddenly, without warning, he pushes it into my core, up to his knuckle.

We moan in unison. My eyes water in bliss.

"God damn it, Nyx," Alec growls. "You are so fucking _wet_."

I'm beyond words as he begins to pump his finger in and out of me. I make sounds of complete pleasure that Alec understands. My hips, as his did before, buck in time with his finger. We continue this game until I'm practically riding his hand.

"Want another, baby?" Alec murmurs after a while. He doesn't give me time to reply as he pushes a second fingers up inside me.

"Yes, Alec, yes!" I groan, finding my words again. Alec's hand speeds up again until my body tenses and my quivering becomes all too much.

"Don't stop, Alec," I moan, my back straightening, arching.

"That's it, Phoenix," Alec breathes. "Come for me. Come on baby."

I find myself powerless to resist his command. With one firm press of his thumb to my clit, my universe explodes into sensation. Waves of euphoria ripple and rush through my body, which twitches and bucks without permission. My walls clench and pulse around Alec's fingers as his name escapes my lips in a high-pitched, extraordinarily unattractive screech.

As my orgasm begins to fade and my body finally gives, I sag against Alec, who wraps both arms around me and holds me steady. I realise that my hands had been grabbing chunks of his hair, tight enough to hurt. With a weak, guilty smile, I release my grasp on his silky strands and allow my hands to slip over his shoulders and touch his chest.

"Now," Alec whispers, giving me a soft kiss. "The tally is one all-" His lips curve into a boyish grin, and his dark eyes twinkle "-shall we try for two?"

vVv

Alec gently lowers me back against the overstuffed pillows. I recline languidly, basking in the airy afterglow of my orgasm. When my eyelids part lazily, Alec is on his knees between my legs, his velvet red wine eyes drinking in every inch of my body. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips, still moist with his flavour. A while ago, I would have felt nervy at such intense scrutiny. But not anymore.

I reach out, letting my fingertips glide over the trail of soft, dark hair from his bellybutton to the rough patch above his erection, standing straight up and eager, ready. He throws me his trademark smirk, but this one has nothing but tenderness behind it.

"What are you waiting for?" I murmur. I toy with him, dragging his coarse curls straight between my fingers.

Still smiling, Alec shakes his head. He places his hands either side of my ribcage and lowers himself so that his body is flush against mine. "Nothing at all," he whispers, moulding his lips to mine.

Now that our more carnal needs have been satisfied, we're free to slow down, take our time, indulge and enjoy eachother in a way we've never done before. In my younger months, everything was frantic and feral. Now that I'm a little older and a teensy bit calmer, I can truly experience him.

With a deep, throaty sigh, Alec pulls back a little, his eyes roving Southways. I feel as though I should be blushing as his thumbs smooth over the underwire of my not-bra, his eyes deep and studious.

"Such pretty things," he murmurs. His eyes meet mine as he peers up at me through his long lashes. With a lazy, soft smile, I answer his unspoken question.

"Be my guest. They're not mine to begin with."

Alec understands what I mean immediately, and chuckles quietly as his hands slide around to my back, undoing the lingeree with one professional twitch of his fingers. Tossing it away, he delivers a quick kiss to my sternum, above my silent stone heart, before venturing further downwards. Unwilling to move himself from between my thighs, he simply tears the panties to pieces, flicking shreds of fabric over the edge of the bed before returning his attention - by which I mean his lips - to my face.

He kisses me deeply, his soft tongue dancing with mine until my head is whirling with joy and I almost don't notice him arch his back, preparing himself.

He touches the head of his cock to my entrance, and I break the kiss with a soft gasp. My eyelids flutter sporadically as Alec leans his forehead against mine, using his right hand to cup the side of my face and drag his thumb over my bottom lip. My own hands, which had been clutching his hips, move up his back and clasp needily at the back of his neck. I tilt my hips towards his, encouraging him.

His eyes bore into mine with intensity that could scorch as he pushes forward in a single smooth motion, filling me to the brim.

Our simultainious gasps fill the air. I can taste the sweetness of his breath, and it makes me shudder. Alec gives a soft groan, his eyes squeezing shut. I relish the feel of his hardness, his length and girth, invading me, leaving no room whatsoever. The familliar feeling leaves such a sweet ache in my chest.

"I missed you," I gasp out, feeling so overwhelmed, both physically and emotionally, that I can barely stand it. Alec's eyes snap open, zeroing in on my own. Those orbs, darker now again, hold such love that my stomach twists and trembles.

"I love you," he replies simply.

He touches his lips back to mine again, and begins to move.

He pulls back until only his head is sheathed inside me, and I whimper in protest at the loss, before he plunges forward and fills me again, sending sensation washing and dancing through me.

"_Yes_," I hiss out through clenched teeth, my back bowing. Alec groans deeply.

His lips ravage the space where my neck meets my shoulder as he builds a deep, concentrated rythym. With every long thrust, my body rocks and arches. My teeth and lips find his strong shoulder as my nails claw and scratch at his skin, fingers running through his chocolate strands and tugging at the hair at the nape of his neck.

Every touch seems to sear my skin in the most delicious way. I don't think I've ever felt so physically sensitive to his touch. His hands are magic, his tongue divine. As his body glides over mine, the feeling of his skin sliding without friction against my own is unbearably fantastic.

"More," I beg wantonly, greedy for him. My hips move and rock in time with his, meeting every thrust, encouraging him deeper...

His pace is not fast, but savoury. We're not in any rush. Even so, every push of his hips is punctuated by the headboard and the two northern posts smacking unceremoniously against the wall. When a small chunk of wallpaper-covered plaster chips away and drops behind the bed, I snicker. Alec glances up, still not breaking pace.

"Looks like we're gonna be paying for repairs after all," I grin. Alec mirrors my expression.

He pushes harder, making me growl and deepening the gauge in the wall. More plaster crumbles and drops, but I'm finding it rather hard to give a flying fuck. "Let them complain," he murmurs against my lips. I kiss him roughly, thoroughly distracted from our little faux-pas.

Our bodies curve against one another as our tongues duel. Alec's hands take turns in groping my breasts, stiff and aching for him. I wrap my thighs around his waist and press my heels against his ass, driving him deeper inside.

Alec's grunts and moans only increase in volume as time goes on. "God, Nyx," he grunts, his breathing harsh and erratic. "I forgot how fucking good you feel."

A high growl rolls through my teeth, and I clench my thighs around him. When my head falls back against the pillow, my eyes rolling back helplessly, Alec buries his face in my exposed throat, inhaling deeply.

The pleasure builds gradually, every thrust of Alec's pushing the both of us closer and closer to another climax. Knowing that we are in fact in a public building and human's aren't quite as deaf as we'd like them to be, we started out quiet. We _try_ not to be obnoxiously loud, really we do, but as we (and any other unfortunate Volterran soul that happens to reside near Alec's bedroom...like poor, long-suffering Felix) both know, quietness isn't exactly a key skill of ours during sex. Every single thrust is punctuated by a loud gasp, snarl, hiss, yell, name, plea or swearword.

"Oh, oh, oh _fuck Alec_!"

I run my hands along his biceps, loving the feeling of his muscles clenching and rippling beneath his skin.

"Ugh, yes. _Ah_. Phoenix fuck, _shit_, oh."

It takes me longer than it should to register the dawning sunlight streaming through cracks in the curtains. Huh. I guess time really does fly.

Alec shifts his position a little, moving upwards so that his hands can slide up the backs of my thighs. They cup just behind my knees, pushing my legs up and spreading them even further apart. I tilt my hips up obediently, following his directions. His eyes, black as pitch, burn holes in my face.

He picks up his speed for the first time, plunging deeper, moving faster. The pleasure rises higher and higher, and my high pitched cries of "_yes_!" And "_more_!" And "_harder, Alec_!" only spur him on, his own sounds of lust like music to my ears. My back arches so tightly that it's almost uncomfortable, and my hands form fists in my hair as my toes curl.

Through the almost intolerable pressure of building ecstasy, I realise that the bed is in serious danger now. I hear a deep, resounding crack, followed by another and another, but my capacity to give a shit drops dramatically when I glance up through my venom-filled eyes at Alec's face. The look of bliss clear across his features makes my midsection clench with arousal, and I find that I'm holding onto my release by the skin of my teeth.

His jaw is tightly locked, and his teeth clench and release with every thrust. His eyes are tightly shut and his hair is splayed haphazardly around his flawless face like a dark halo.

_Somehow I know, that we can't_

_Wake again, from this dream._

His eyes snap open suddenly, dropping down to lock with mine. I give a low whimper as a flicker of pure euphoria slashes through me, and I have to clench tight around him to keep from losing myself completely. He's close, like I am. But for once, I want to hold out long enough to watch him finish.

_It's not real, but it's ours._

"I love you so much, Nyx!" Alec cries, his voice husky and strained. "Oh! _Oh God_!"

He releases my legs and falls forwards, catching himself on his hands and leaning his body over mine. He tenses completely, gasping out and groaning loudly. I feel an abrupt burst of warm wetness deep inside as he comes, hard, crying my name.

_And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away..._

It's all I can take. The pleasure is too much, too strong. The feeling of him finding release inside me sends me spiralling over the edge.

Every single part of my body tightens as the pressure combusts. Not one single cell of me isn't subject to the glowing euphoria that drags my body under, deep, into depths of pleasure I've never known. It might be lasting days, years, miliseconds, I really don't know. All I know is that my body bucks without permission, the only things I can register beyond this bliss are the feel of Alec's hands on the skin of my waist, his heavy breaths against my neck, and the feeling of his length still buried deep inside me, and the fact that throughout everything, for the first time ever, I am completely silent.

_That we'll, be lost,_

_Before the Dawn..._

It fades after who knows how long, and soon I'm back in Alec's arms, peaceful and safe.

I exhale heavily, staring in awe at the canopy above me as Alec curves his body over mine, nuzzling me softly. The silence surrounding us is wonderful, comfortable and full. Our lips brush together softly, silk on silk, gentle and loving.

I could stay here forever. I could crumble away and not care less. Not now. Alec drapes the soft, crumpled sheets around us, sighing softly.

_CRACK!_

That's it for the bed. The headboard splits in two in a huge great bust of splinters and dust. One of the poles attached to it gives up too, falling forward and dragging the canopy and a second post with it. Luckily for me, Alec's durable body shields me from getting bumped, as the posts land, one on top of the other, on his back. Just as he begins to grumble darkly, the legs of the bed die a final death too, and collapse like spindly matchsticks underneath us. The two remaining poles crash, one demolishing a bedside locker, the other seriously denting the floor.

There are several beats of disbelieving silence.

"Hmm," I murmur, muffled by the canopy pinned on top of us both. "This could pose problems."

Alec sighs.

**Oh, and FYI, I have no idea whatsoever where I got it into my head that Alec would call Nyx "baby", but there ya go. In fact, I think it'd be the other way around seeing as she's a modern girl and he's about, hmmmmmmm, a squillion years old. But oh well.**

**This is the official last chapter of The Pet - n'awh, don't cry! - BUT! I do have an epilogue to upload, which I should do pretty soon.**

**Right, now if you'll excuse me, I have some hysterical crying to do! Buh bye.**


	32. Epilogue - Hallelujah

**Righty-ho, this is the OFFICIAL official last chapter of The Pet, ZEE EPILOGUE. Not that you guys freaking deserve it or anything! Seriously, over 400 people read the last chapter in the last two-three days (yeah, I don't keep track of time), and only FIVE kind-hearted people decide to give me some feedback? Thanks a whole heap of a lot to you guys that did review (seriously, it means a lot!), and as for the rest of you, witness my scowl! **Scowly face****

**But yesh, if I can figure out how to work this shit, I'm gonna put a pole up on my profile in regards to the authors note that I have at the end of this bitty little chapter.**

**Oh, and the amount of freaking times I had to spell-check the word "Hallelujah." Apparantly I've been spelling it wrong for years! Ta, Paramore, for making me feel like a moron -.-**

_This time we're not givin' up,_

_Let's make it last forever._

_Screamin'_

_Hallelujah._

_We'll make it last forever..._

"_Fuck_."

Crisp sheets crackling. A light sigh. A soft moan.

Push.

The soft friction of skin-on-skin. Nails on skin. Lips on skin. Fingers combing through hair.

Glide.

A murmured word. A barely-audible whisper. Names flying back and forth.

Deeper.

All interrupted by frantic pounding on the bedroom door. Alec's grumble sounds like a growl, and he sits back on his knees, scowling like a child. I grin up at him before rolling over and grabbing for my favourite velvet robe.

"Hey, I know you guys are in there! You're not subtle! Don't _ignore_ me!" Santiago wails.

"Just a _minute_!" Alec yells back, unimpressed by the interruption. Any other time I'd tell Santiago to go fuck himself and get right back down to our activities, but I can guess what this is about. Fastening the tie on my robe, I hop out of bed and unlock the door as Alec grudgingly slips into a pair of grey sweats.

Santiago looks dreadful when I open the door. His hair is all ruffled and flopping in his face, his shirt is dirty and ripped (I can guess that his clothes are a casualty of frantic searching) and his eyes are wide, diluting to black by the second. He glances back at Alec apologetically before gripping my shoulders in his hands, lifting me up so my toes barely graze the floor. My brows raise up into my hairline.

"I need your help. Like _now_," he says urgently.

I sigh, rolling my eyes. "Lost again?"

He nods frantically. My eyes narrow.

"First off; kindly let go of me."

"Sorry," he apologises, releasing his grasp on my shoulders and letting me sag back to earth.

"You should really up that observancy level of yours, you know," I complain. "And wouldn't Demetri be of more use right now?"

Santiago looks at me sheepishly from under his thick brows. "Er, unlike you, Demetri and Heidi weren't kind enough to open their bedroom door."

"More fool us," Alec mutters.

"Please?" Santiago begs, clasping his hands together under my nose. "Please please? I'll owe you one!"

"You owe me like, fucking twenty," I scoff. But I relent, as usual. "Alright. Let me get dressed."

"Thanks," Santiago breathes, slipping out of the doorframe so I can shut the door. "I'm going to go check my security cameras again."

I nod. "Kay. I have a good idea, anyway."

I shut the door with a heavy sigh. Alec flops back into the tangled nest of our sheets and groans. I smirk at the lewd tent in his sweats.

"He has the _worst_ timing," Alec complains. I begin to gather my clothes; a ripped pair of jeans and Alec's shirt. As I slip them on, Alec kneels behind me on the bed and starts dragging stubbornly out of the shirt, slipping his fingers between the buttons and nuzzling my neck. His fingers tangle with mine, refusing to let me do up the button of my jeans.

"Getoff, you."

I manage to twist out of his grip, and he frowns at me, looking sulky, as if he wasn't expecting my protest at all. I button myself up swiftly before he can interfere and throw him a grin before heading for the door.

"He should learn to take care of his things," Alec calls in avid disappointment. I turn back to face him as I slip away.

"Not everyone can have your sweet and attending nature, you know," I tease. Alec gives me the briefest grin before I shut the door.

"Come back soon," he calls from inside.

Please, as if I'm gonna use up any more time than _absolutely _neccisary.

I follow my instinct more so than my nose, heading in the direction I might go if I wanted some peace and quiet, or a little something resembling privacy. It's Winter and it's cold, but I doubt that matters right now.

Instead of taking the route through the creepy-shit attics, I wander outside into the light dusting of snowfall and spring as high as I can, catching myself on the ivy-twined wall and scaling my way up to the roof.

I find the redhead in a favourite haunt of my own, at the walled edge of the roof staring out into the city. It's dark and the lights are on, setting a beautiful scene. I catch the breath of her deep sigh.

"You know," I muse, making my prescence known. She jumps nonetheless. "There's this nifty new shit called the internet. You can look up all sortsa cool scenery without freezing your mortal ass off. Try it sometime."

Her heartbeat recovers from the shock of my oh-so dramatic enterace and thrums lightly in her chest. I've passed the stage where all humans = an all you can eat smorgasbord, but the temptation is still there. Luckily her scent is nothing special – just a vague fragrance of tigerlily. I lean my arms against the wall (still not too keen on looking _down_) and sweep a glance over my city, leaning my weight casually on one foot.

"Oh," she breathes in surprise. "Hi, Phoenix."

"Lucy," I reply. The child squirms. "He's looking for you, you know."

"I know," she mumbles. "I just..." She sighs deeply, and I smell her tears before I see them, pooling in those pretty ice-blue eyes of hers.

"Wanted a break?" I finish. She nods mutely, and the tears spill. My heart pangs a little. I remember this feeling.

I've not gone _quite_ so soft that I wipe her tears away myself, but I do produce a convenient fabric hankie from the pocket of my jeans and press it gently into her shaking hand

"Thanks," Lucy croaks quietly, mopping at her leaking eyes tenderly.

We stay in silence for a long time. Snow drifts lightly, landing in our clothes and our hair. The snow that touches her melts, wheras whatever flakes land on me settle, giving me a nice Christmas-y look like a sprayed tree decoration.

"Do you think he'll be mad?" Lucy asks weakly, still trembling a little. She ought to be shivering. She's only wearing a top and jeans and she's beginning to turn blue.

"Nawh," I say, waving my hand dismissively. "Santiago? Dude doesn't know the meaning of the word mad. You got a good one."

She sniffs timidly. Everything about this kid is timid. How she's survived two weeks here is beyond me. She swallows back some more tears, ajusting the collar around her neck.

"Was Alec good to you?" She asks. Timid though she may be, she's observant and instantly recognised the collar wrapped around my wrist one afternoon. This had prompted many a question and explained why I was so gentle towards her. Gentle ain't exactly my middle name.

"Not at first," I chuckle. "I mean, you've seen Alec."

Her shudder tells me that yes, she most certainly has. Having me around sure hasn't softened Alec to the whole Pet situation.

"He scares me," she confides quietly. I snort.

"Yeah, he scared me too, when I was human," I tell her. I pause.

"But he took good care of me," I say, smiling softly. "He loved me."

She sighs softly, and I can sense her mind tick-tick-ticking away.

"Let's go back inside," I suggest. "Before Santiago tears the house apart and you freeze your ass off."

She nods, allowing me to slip my arms behind her and scoop her up. I'm sure my own body temperature isn't really helping with the whole not-freezing thing, but what can ya do? I hop neatly over the wall while Lucy clings to my clothes with shaking fingers. I touch neatly to the ground with my bare feet, and she starts to breathe again. I right her carefully, checking to make sure she's not gonna throw up or some shit. The drop can be daunting for humans.

Er, yeah, alright...and me, a little bit...

I escort her inside. After some whining and nudging and plain-out nagging courtesy of moi, Aro agreed to buy some small plug-operated heaters to warm the place up. I remember freezing my tits off around this time of year, and Lucy doesn't seem like the hard-wearing type.

Corin and Renata are curled up in the Lounge together, watching Santiago and trying to muffle their laughter. Lucy and I pause at the doorway, and I press my lips together to stop from snorting out loud. Even Lucy cracks a smile.

Santiago is holding the largest sofa over his head one handedly, staring at the spot where it usually sits with a completely befuzzled look on his face. Judging by the fact that the coffee table is overturned and two little loveseats are on their sides, he's looking for Lucy. And he seems completely baffled as to the fact that she's not under that couch.

"Congratulations, you found the dust bunnies," I say, clapping my hands sarcastically. How does one clap their hands sarcastically, you ask? Well, I don't know. I can just pull it off. Jeez.

Santiago drops the couch in shock and it crashes against the floor loudly, making Lucy jump. Renata smiles.

"Thank goodness you found her. Santiago was _this_ close to loosing his cool," she shakes her head.

"Can't lose what you never had..." Corin smirks. Santiago throws her a scowl before bunny-hopping over the sofa and landing next to us.

"Thanks Nyx," he breathes, looking relieved.

"Don't mention it," I sigh. Santiago places his hand on Lucy's shoulder and leads her away from the two cackling vampires.

"Hey, now I owe you twenty one," Santiago says brightly.

"Hot cocoa's in the cupboard oppisite the fridge – twenty one and a half!" I reply.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say, little Nyx."

vVv

When I return to my room, the light is off. The bathroom door is slightly ajar, giving off a soft glow from the hundreds of candles within. I smile softly when the fragrance of jasmine bath salts reaches my nose. The air's heavy with steam. My belly trembles in anticipation.

Grinning, I walk slowly towards the bathroom, undressing as I go. I push the door open gently, slipping inside. The candles are lit. Alec is waiting for me, reclining in the bathtub filled with hot water. The bubbles are scarce, and I take in his serious lack of decency with a sly grin.

He's wearing nothing but a sultry smirk, and he beckons me to join him.

"Hello lover."

I unbutton my/his/MY shirt slowly, making him wait. His eyes narrow at my game, but I just smile innocently and carry on.

"Tease," he growls.

My angelic smile becomes a smirk. "You love it."

Alec's hand reaches below the steaming water with an answering smirk, and judging by the movement of his arm, I can guess just how _much_ he loves it. Slipping the snow-dampened fabric from my shoulders, I move forward and step over the high edge of the bath, submerging myself quickly in the hot water with a sigh.

Alec's smirk softens, and he extends his hand, pulling me into his lap. He sighs against my lips as I kiss him. The kiss is slow and savoury and sexual, like hot melted chocolate and silk. Reaching below the water, I replace his hand with mine and begin to stroke his hardness. He deepens the kiss. I act quickly, only too eager to resume our activities. I move up onto my knees, slide forward and bear down, impaling myself. Our simultanious groans fill the room.

Alec's strong arm slips around my back. His free hand scoops my hair back over my shoulders. I nibble his shoulder, purring contently.

"Lovely," Alec sighs. I straighten up.

"Oh, by the way," I say, drawing my nails softly down his cheek. His eyes bore up into mine, searching through my soul. "Jasmine? Manly."

Alec snorts, breaking the intimacy. "Oh, _now_ who's ruining the moment?"

I only laugh and cover his lips with mine.

**So, it's all over.**

**I'm not crying. I'm not.**

**DON'T LIE AND SAY I'M CRYING!**

**I'm weeping. There's a difference. *runs off to grab mounds of tissues***

**Anywhoodles, it's time to move on to bigger and better things (maybe...probably not) so I'll be uploading a couple of first-chapters to see what kind of story I'll be moving on to next. (You can be damn sure they'll all be seriously Volturi-centric!) I'd appreciate some feedback, you guys. HINT FREAKING HINT!**

**OH! Yes, that pole thing. (Oh yesh...oh no.) Right, well, thing is, I have HUUUUGE detachment issues when it comes to my make-believe-y buddies, i.e. our one and only Phoenix Volturi, so I am seriously seriously seriously tempted to make a sequel.**

**BUT!**

**Oh yes, you knew there was gonna be a but in there.**

**I've seen fanfics in the past that got reasonably good reception, like mine has, but then the authors got all up on their high horses and decided to produce a sequel. And not freaking once have I seen a sequel be NEARLY as well received as the original fic. Plus, seeing as my life is as hectic as a hectic thing right now (coughDRAMAQUEENcough), it wouldn't be updated all too frequently. Like, maybe once or twice a month. **

**SO. Seeing as I don't like to waste my time, I'm gonna be putting that pole up on my profile to see if it's worth the effort. Just to give you guys a hint of what's in store, read the underlined ramblings below VVV**

**So. Yes. Basically, the storyline is continuing on a few months down the line. Nyx is still a newborn, and now a pretty solid part of the Volturi. Sunshine and fuzzy duckings, right? Pssh, naah. Of course, Vladimir ain't too pleased with his little faux-pas, so he and Stefan decide "HEY! Wouldn't this just be the perfect reason to launch the all-out war we've been gagging for for three bilion lifetimes?!" And guess what? WAAAAAAAR! So the Volturi gather their allies, the Romanians create a huge great kerfuffle of an army, and shit goes down. Drama, angst, sexy times, the whole shabundle. We're gonna meet all the covens from Breaking Dawn, plus a few we wern't introduced to. Such as Renata's maker, perhaps Corin's maker seeing as my geni-ass brain has come up with a whole backstory for her, maybe some other drama-llamas just to keep things interesting. But again, I am such a pussy that I'll probably end up pulling a Stephanie and not killing any characters, because I have shaboodles of love for them all. No, I'll make myself kill off a few. I think. I hope.**

**RIGHT! So, yeah. Get voting, cause it will not go through unless I genuinely think it'll be worth my time. My time is precious, dawgs (she says while sprawling across a beanbag chair with a family pack - and ain't none of my family gettin' any! - of Doritos. Oh yes) . I'll tack on the Yay or Nay result in a temporary dealy in this fic, so anyone on story/author alert will know ASAP. Cause I'm a kindhearted motherfucker.**

**(By the by, I'm a technology spaz, so if the poll isn't up within a day or two, would someone be kind enough to message me and let me know? My computer's not nice to me.)**

**So...*sniff*...TheHunter9, over aaaand out, for possibly the last time!**


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